Digimon - RPG Style
by Kender Bard
Summary: This is a story of an RPG of Digimon turned into a world of reality! ^_^ R&R and ENJOY!
1. Chapter One

Digimon- RPG style  
By Squirtel the Squirtle  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or Pokemon, or D-M's Digimon RPG where I got this story line. *bows* Thank you and goodnight!  
  
Glancing around nervously, I wondered where I was. I seemed to be in front of a gate, behind a line, of some place I'd never seen. The line proceeded forward and soon I was facing a young man.  
"Name," he droned, obviously tired of this routine.  
"Uh..." I hesitated. The man sighed heavily.  
"Screen name please," he said, sounding agitated.  
"Squirtel the Squirtle," I stated. I loved my screen name intensely and used it everywhere.  
"That's better," the man stated, jotting something down. "What Digimon would you like?"  
"Huh? Where am I? What does Digimon have to do with this place?" I asked, frightened greatly.  
"Okay, I see this is going to have to be explained," he sighed. He cleared his throat. "You have been chosen to come to the RPG Digiworld."  
"RPG Digiworld?" I repeated. "I've heard of the Digiworld, but what's the RPG Digiworld?"  
"The RPG Digiworld is similar to the Digiworld, yet different," the young man tried his best to explain. After viewing my puzzled look he gave up. "You'll see. Just think of yourself as a Digidestined for now."  
"Cool," I whispered. "I would like a Tentomon, thank you." The man wrote more down.  
"Do you have a crest symbol you'd like?" he asked. I nodded. "What would that be?"  
"Can it be something that the Digidestined don't already have?" I asked timidly. He nodded. I thought a moment. "I'm stuck between two... Can it be a mix of the two?" He pondered that a moment, then nodded. I smiled satisfactorily. "I would like a mix crest of the two symbols Loyalty and Determination."  
After writing that down, the man inserted the piece of paper into a slot and pressed a button. There was a flash and there stood before me was a small Tentomon and a crest with the outline of a Squirtle paw on it.  
"Here is your Digimon, Tentomon," the man pointed. "He's a male and at level five. That is your crest. Here, take this too." I was handed a backpack that obviously felt like it had something in it. "In there is thirty dollars and five capture rings, for catching other Digimon. There's also a map. Enjoy your journey." The gates opened as I was pushed through them.  
I looked down at the Tentomon next to me and shook with fear. I started to back away.  
"What's the matter, Squirtel the Squirtle?" Tentomon asked, sounding worried. "Anything I may assist with?"  
"Why did you call me that?" I asked timidly.  
"That's your screen name, right? I am supposed to call you by your screen name," he explained. I nodded, actually understanding what he meant.  
"Just call me Squirtel for short, ok?" I proposed. He nodded happily. I slowly reached down and touched his head with the tips of my fingers then recoiled suddenly.  
"Go on," Tentomon urged. "I won't hurt you; I'm your partner!" I nodded and laid my hand on his head. I slowly let myself pet him. He smiled with happiness.  
"That feels good," he laughed. I could only stare in awe.  
"You feel so real," I whispered. He laughed again.  
"I am real!" he said, joyfully. I smiled.  
"Wow, I have a Digimon," I laughed lightly. "And not just any Digimon, but a Tentomon!" Tentomon blushed. "So you're my partner?" He nodded once again. "That's cool. Well partner, we'd better find someplace to set up camp." Tentomon nodded and hovered off to a nice spot under a tree.  
"How about here?" he offered. I nodded.  
"You have good taste!" I laughed. He smiled and landed in the tree. I sat down and searched through the issued backpack. Everything was there and then some. There were also a few cans of food, matches, and a Digimon creature guidebook. "This is great! Now we need firewood... Let's go, Tentomon!" Tentomon nodded and we set out to gather some firewood. Along the way, I saw other people milling around with their own Digimon. Each one doing their own thing. I held Tentomon's talon nervously. Tentomon seemed a bit nervous himself.  
"Let's get what we came here for and leave," Tentomon said quickly. I nodded and headed to a small pile of wood nearby. Then I heard someone snicker.  
"Look, it's another newbie," they laughed. There was a few others laughing too. I blushed and grabbed the armful of wood and proceeded to leave.  
"What's your name?" one of them shouted after me. I froze and hesitated more.  
"Squirtel the Squirtle," I whispered. More laughter followed, but one person grinned at me.  
"Cool! Squirtle is the only Pokemon I like," he said. I smiled lightly, but frowned at the next comment made.  
"Mmm, turtle soup!" he shouted. I stood up, my anger rising. Tentomon hovered around me nervously. More people acted on the turtle soup comment and I became even more angered.  
"Don't bother with them," Tentomon whispered to me. "Let's just leave, they're way more experienced here!" I sighed and nodded, leaving the scene to return to the campsite.  
Tentomon started a fire and I cooked some food. After dinner I sighed and stared into the fire.  
"What's wrong, Squirtel?" Tentomon asked, laying a talon on my arm. I shook my head.  
"I don't like to be made fun of," I whispered to him. He nodded sympathetically. I shrugged away my thoughts. "Oh well. Tomorrow is a big day, we'd better get some sleep." Tentomon nodded and lay down next to me. I yawned and curled up next to him, and let sleep engulf my thoughts.  
  
The next morning I awoke to the gentle shaking of Tentomon. I cracked my eyes open the slightest amount.  
"Tentomon? What time is it?" I moaned.  
"It's time to get up," he replied, unaware of the pun he'd made.  
"No, really," I yawned, sitting up. I looked at my watch. It was 9:00 AM in the morning. "It's too early!" Being on summer vacation, I was accustomed to sleeping in at least two hours later.  
Tentomon replied, "Are you kidding?! It's late, I let you sleep in." I sighed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.  
"I'd hate to see what you called a reasonable time to wake up," I mumbled. He pretended not to hear while turning around as I changed. Changed? When did I get pajamas? I shrugged and changed anyway, not worrying about that at the moment. I finished and beckoned Tentomon to turn around again. I'd worry about where they came from after breakfast.  
I had to give Tentomon credit. He was trying his hardest to please me, rounding up a ton of berries for breakfast.  
"I like berries, thank you Tentomon," I thank him. Then I gave him a sweet little kiss on his head for my appreciation. He blushed and looked at the ground.  
"It's my favorite food," he mumbled. I grinned as he shoveled more into his mouth hungrily. After a nice breakfast between us I decided to question Tentomon.  
"Where did those pajamas come from?" I asked him, looking at them again. "They look exactly like mine."  
Tentomon shrugged and said, "They just appeared on you. But that's not too strange."  
I gave him a curious look and asked, "Why not? It is where I come from." He nodded, understanding what I meant.  
"Anything, and I mean anything, can happen in the RPG world," he said blandly. "Everything is based on what you're thinking really. Not everything, there has to be some logic to this world, but luxuries and personalities are what you want them to be." I let the thought sink in.  
"Anything?" I whispered. An image of my deepest thoughts flashed in my mind. "I could really become Squirtel?"  
"You mean you're not?" Tentomon asked, confused.  
I shook my head and explained, "Not in body, Tentomon. Only in spirit and mind. I've created Squirtel, me, in my mind. Everything, down to the last detail. You could ask me anything."  
"Wow," Tentomon answered back, bewildered. I decided it'd be best to take the time to explain my deepest thoughts of my alternate universe version of me to him so he'd understand better.  
When I was through, I received the very strangest reaction from him. A first for me. He seemed to understand every word I said and took it with reasoning.  
"So if what you say is true, Tentomon, can I really become my Squirtel form just by thinking it?" I asked quietly, not sure if I'll get the answer I so desperately wanted.  
"Perhaps," he said. "I suppose it would take quite amount of willpower too." I nodded anxiously.  
"Will power I do have!" I shouted with glee, causing Tentomon to smile. "So how do I do it?"  
"I don't know," Tentomon stated. "How do you in your mind?" I thought that through.  
"I change with my mind," I murmured. I closed my eyes and pictured myself changing, to every little detail. When I opened my eyes, nothing happened. I felt so depressed I nearly cried, but Tentomon offered some advice.  
"So that's how you do it in your mind?" he asked. "You close your eyes and change?" I shook my head.  
"No," I said softly. "I normally shout out "transform" and move and stuff for show."  
"Then try it that way," he suggested. I sighed but agreed. Standing up once more, I this time twirled a bit and moved my hands while shouting, "TRANSFORM!". There was a very bright flash and a tingling sensation all over my body, forcing my eyes shut. A few seconds passed when I reopened them. I was eye level with Tentomon - and he wasn't in the air either.  
"I did it..." I whispered, looking down at myself. I looked just like I had always dreamed I would. Down to ever detail.  
"Way to go!!" Tentomon cheered as his did an aerial maneuver. I laughed and leaped for joy.  
"I did it!" I shouted again. Now to test out the fun parts. I looked at a leaf hanging idly on the tree. I sucked in my breath and took careful aim. "Water gun!" I shouted out my attack as I launched it. The leaf was destroyed in a powerful blast of spray. I grinned. Everything was perfect. It was more than perfect. It was heaven.  
Tentomon landed on the ground again and was greeted by an overjoyed hug from me. He laughed, good naturally, and hugged me back.  
  
I spent all day with Tentomon, learning how to move in this new body of mine. I was constantly transforming between the stages of human and Digimon to get used to the feel. It was great. That night, while in human form, I leaned back on the tree. We both had eaten dinner, this time it was what we wanted deep in our thoughts, and were feeling very content. He relaxed on my lap as I calmly stroked his antenna and hummed a song refrain.  
"This is so nice," Tentomon said with a yawn. "What an eventful day!" I nodded.  
"It's only going to get more eventful as time passes," I murmured to him, so as not to break the sleep atmosphere.  
"But it'll be okay so long as you're here," he chirped sweetly. "You and I will be the best of friends and we'll overcome any obstacle in our way!" I grinned and twirled his antenna in my fingers.  
"You're right," I laughed softly. I gave him a gentle shove. "And now it's my bedtime. So off my lap!" He reluctantly moved away and turned around as I changed into pajamas. "Hmm... I think tonight I deserve something proper to sleep on!" I closed my eyes and felt the tingling sensation in my mind grow. When I opened my eyes, I had a comfortable sleeping bag ready for me.  
Snuggling in, and hugging Tentomon as I would a stuffed animal, I fell into sleep of colorful dreams.  
  
I leaned against the tree that had become our official campsite.  
"So what do you propose we do now?" I inquired Tentomon.  
"The Digital RPG world is quite vast," Tentomon stated. "Perhaps the wisest thing to do would be explore it." He had a point. I gulped down the breakfast that had appeared for us that morning.  
"Where do you suppose we start?" I asked while swallowing a mouthful of tangy berries.  
"Check your map," he sighed, reaching for my pack. I pulled out the map. On the right side of the picture of the land was a list of all the areas. "And read them off."  
"Okay," I said, drawing in a breath. "The "Rule" Temple, The Entrance, Information Hall, Trainer's Hotel (free of charge), Advance Trainer's Hotel, News House, Post Office, Literary House, Special Event's Tent, Announcement Podium, Jail, Police Station, History Basement, Moderator Boot Camp, Moderator's Lounge, Administrator's Lounge." I paused a moment. "The Digital World..." There was an arrow. I pressed it and one window dropped down. "Level 1: The Digiworld"." There was a red light next to it. I ignored it and continued reading after minimizing the list again. "Cache Island - Battling Plateau." There was another arrow for a drop down. I pressed it and read the menus that appeared. "Arena Lobby, Arena, Dueling Hall, The Elemental Temple, Green Gym." I minimized that list. "Cache Island - Service Harbor." I clicked that drop down menu. "Digimon Spa, Digimon Country Club, Paradise Island, DNA Mixer, Adoption Center, Auction Hall, Bank." I minimized that set and moved on. "Cache Island - DigiMall"." Yet another pop down. "Digimart, Mine Shaft, Gold Rush, Atlantis, The Field, Digimon Guild, Flea Market." I minimized this one. "Cache Island - Frontier." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the sight of another pop down. "Mine, Raging Rapids, Coral Reefs, Exavigation, and Black Forest." The list had come to an end. I stared in awe at the map. "Wow... This world is vast!" Tentomon nodded solemnly.  
Well let's go!" he shouted energetically. I smiled at his small outburst. He was young and energetic.  
"How about we check out the Digital World: Level 1?" I asked thoughtfully. Tentomon nodded eagerly. I was about to fold up the map when my eye caught the lit light next to the name on the menu of our planned destination. I couldn't resist. I pushed on the name on the map and a bright flash emerged from the map.  
"Uh-oh!" Tentomon and I screamed as we were pulled into the light along with my pack.  
A few seconds passed in the bright light before we landed on the hard ground.  
"Ow," I moaned.  
"Where are we?" Tentomon pondered out loud while hovering above the treetops to get a scope of the place. I pulled out the map again. Next to the red light was a blue light that was now lit.  
"I think we're in Level1," I announced t my friend who had settled himself on the ground again. "But how?"  
"This is the world of RPG," Tentomon restated while checking our stuff. "Anything is possible." He added with a playful glance, "You would know that best." I had to blush, although he was right.  
"You're right, " I said wistfully. "In fact, I think I'd feel more comfortable in my Digimon form. TRANSFORM!" There was the tingling sensation again that forced my eyes shut. When I reopened them, I saw my transformation was, again, successful. Tentomon seemed used to my alternate form already. He hovered over to a sign that had two arrows.  
"This way to the boss of this level, " he read, pointed right. Now he pointed left. "And this way to captured wild Digimon."  
"I think we should go capture a Digimon, " I decided, and proceeded to walk down the left lane. I walked smack into an invisible wall.  
"It also says that the wild Digimon field is closed," he finished reading.  
"Thanks for telling me that now!!" I screamed at him. I lunged, without the intention of actually inflicting harm or pain, at Tentomon. He moved quickly enough and I found myself with a mouthful of dirt in my mouth. I spat it out and glared at Tentomon, who was laughing like a nut.  
He helped me up apologetically.  
"Well Let's check out that boss," he said timidly.  
"And unless the boss is level 5, I think that checking out will be the only think that we'll be doing," I grumbled while keeping in stride with his flight. We walked down the tail, buzzing with excitement about our future plans. It wasn't long before we approached a massive sign. I volunteered to read it aloud.  
"Halt! Behind these massive doors is the boss of this level and his guards!" I read, giving a nervous glace at Tentomon. "He is Kuwagamon, level 24. His guards are Shellmon, level 13, and Seadramon, level 18. Combined, their levels are 55! HAHA!" I looked at Tentomon doubtfully.  
"It'd take eleven of you to beat this level, and I can't even capture a new Digimon!" I shouted.  
"No," Tentomon drawled. "But we can go adopt another."  
"Great idea!" I exclaimed. "Let's go get a Gomamon. How much is it?"  
"I don't know," Tentomon shrugged. "But I bet it's written in the Rule Book!" Without even having to tell me, I pulled out my map and pressed the Rule Book button. Again we were teleported. This time the little blue light on my map was next to "The Rule Book".  
The room was relatively dark except fro one lamp hanging from the ceiling, casting a soft light. There was a single table with one chair pulled up to it. On the table was a book that was firmly attached to the table.  
Tentomon and I approached the book cautiously, as one would when they are seemingly near an object of great importance or age.  
Tenderly, I lifted the cover of the book. I slid myself into he seat and found myself staring at a table of contents. Quickly, my eyes darted down the list until my sight rested upon the page number for the Adoption Center's reference. I flipped to the page and glanced at Tentomon, who scanned the page with his own large, bright, green eyes.  
It only took me a moment to find the price page.  
"In-trainings - $5, Rookies - $15, Champions - $55, Ultimates - $125."  
"Do you think it's worth it to spend half our money on another Digimon?" I asked Tentomon hesitantly. He gave a nodding of approval as I shut the book. "Then it's settled." I reached for the map again and clicked for the Adoption Center. We teleported, then glanced around.  
There were four lines and each a line to every table. The lines were for the Digimon you planned to adopt. One for In-training, and one for Rookie, and so on. We got in the second one, for Rookies. It didn't take long until we were next up.  
"Please state the Digimon you want, it's gender, how much money you have, and how much money you will have after the transaction," a young female chirped. She had on a small silver badge. If I can remember, so did the man I met when I was brought to this world. The badge read, "Mod".  
"Gomamon, male," I sated. "I have thirty dollars. I will have fifteen left." I pulled out my money and paid the lady. She reached down and pulled out a white Digivice and handed it to me.  
"Your Gomamon is in there," she explained. Then she eyed me carefully. "You're a newbie, aren't you?" I nodded. "What's you screen name?"  
"I'm Squirtel the Squirtle," I answered quickly. The mod nodded approvingly.  
"I'm Kari Kamiya69," she smiled. "KK69 for short. This is how you'll handle your Gomamon. When you want to claim him, press the blue button on that Digivice. Your Gomamon should appear. To store him for later use, press the top blue button on your light blue Digivice and say his name. He'll be stored, as data, there. Or you can let him walk freely with you." She glanced at Tentomon. "As you have allowed your Tentomon to. I must warn you, it's more convenient to store them; letting only one or two, particularly Rookies, to travel freely." I gave a quick nod and turned to leave.  
"Tentomon, do you know where our campsite is?" I asked him, the thought suddenly striking me.  
"No, I don't," he replied. "I thought it was somewhere near the Talk lounge, but I'm not sure. Why don't you try to go establish a residency at the Trainer's Hotel?"  
"Good idea," I complimented, pressing the button on the map.  
The hotel was quite decent, looking more like an apartment complex. I walked up to the main desk. Here was a young man about in his 20's. He wore a badge too, but his as gold and had the name, "admin" inscribed on it.  
"You need a room, newbie?" he asked. I was curious how everyone knew I was new.  
"Yes," I answered, trying to sound refined. He reached for a set of keys and tossed them at us, which Tentomon caught.  
"Room 36," he informed. "What's your name?"  
"Squirtel the Squirtle, " I answered, taking the keys from Tentomon. We walked up a flight of stairs and found our room. It looked like an apartment.  
We walked around, inspecting things and making comments. I settled myself on the couch next to Tentomon.  
"Tentomon, how is it everyone knows I'm new?" I inquired.  
"It's quite simple really," he chirped. "Because most of these people have been around here for quite some time now, they would have recognized you if you weren't new."  
"Oh," I said.  
"Also..." He said slowly, eyeing me. "It's not everyday you see a talking Squirtle with Digimon." I blushed hard. I had forgotten to transform to human! Oh well, it was over now.  
"Err, ya," I stuttered. "I better do that now. TRANSFORM!" I felt myself change, then picked up the Digivice that held Gomamon. Pressing the button on it, a light was cast out of the Digivice and when it disappeared, there was my new Gomamon. "Hi there, Gomamon!"  
Gomamon turned to me and said, "Hey! Are you my new owner? Great! What's your name?"  
"Squirtel the Squirtle," I stated, beaming. "But you can call me Squirtel." Gomamon nodded enthusiastically. He spotted Tentomon.  
"Yo, bug buddy!" he shouted with happiness. Tentomon didn't take that well. "You're my new comrade?"  
"Yes," Tentomon addressed in a mannerly order. "I am your partner in assisting Squirtel through this world."  
"That's cool, but you need to lighten up!" he laughed. Tentomon took flight in agitation.  
"Now you two will have to learn to get along better," I admonished them. "We're all in this together." Tentomon nodded and added, "Especially since Evamon is lurking around and wreaking havoc." That surprised me.  
"Evamon?" I repeated, puzzled. Gomamon's hair on his mohak stiffened.  
"Evamon," he repeated himself, with a tone of hate in his voice. "He is the evil that inhabits this world. More powerful than any Digimon known, other than his boss - Alphamon." He added the name Alphamon with a shiver. Even Tentomon seemed to recoil. "He goes around destroying parts of this world. Already he's gotten to the Elemental Temple." Even I was shuddering now.  
"So what are we going to do?" I asked, feeling helpless.  
"Nothing," Tentomon said gravely, landing on the floor. "What could we do? Now there are a lot of people in this world, and many of them are very very strong. Combined, we all could take him out."  
"Then why don't we?" I asked, curious.  
"The time isn't right," Gomamon answered. "We ARE powerful, so we can afford to spend a little time to see what his true goal here is." Gomamon glanced up at Tentomon and winked. "Then we can let the strongest players loose!" I giggled a bit.  
"Well I guess so," I nodded. "But I still want to get a piece of him!"  
"So do I!" Tentomon and Gomamon shouted in unison. I grinned at them.  
"You two are quite a pair," I giggled. They just gave each other a glance.  
"Ya, we could be really great friends!" Gomamon grinned.  
"I'll acknowladge that we could make a good partnership..." Tentomon said hesitantly. I laughed loudly, only to receive puzzled looks.  
"You two may be able to be great friends, but you'll never be alike!" I said through my laughter. The two of them just snickered. I stole a glance at the clock. "Oh my, it's getting late. I'd better get ready to go to bed." I went to pick up my Digivice in which to store Gomamon in when I paused.  
"I suppose letting one more Digimon travel with me can't hurt," I thought. "Especially one this energetic." So instead I just motioned them to follow me into my room, so we could all get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's activities.  
"Now I hope you don't snore, Gomamon," I giggled, winking at Tentomon. Tentomon muffled his snicker as Gomamon made a loud snoring noise.  
I turned down the sheet covers and hopped in. The bed was springy, and comfortable. I laughed as the other two mimicked me.  
I leaned over and gave them both a quick goodnight kiss on their foreheads, which Gomamon promptly rubbed off.  
"Goodnight you two," I whispered to them, turning off the light.  
"Goodnight Squirtel," Tentomon yawned back.  
"Night Squirtel," Gomamon replied, stretching out at my feet.  
"Hey Squirtel, can we go check out the Elemental Temple tomorrow?" Tentomon asked sleepily.  
"Sure," I yawned. "I don't see why not. We can make faces at Evamon from far off." That got a few laughs from them both.  
"Someday, I'll do more than make faces," Gomamon said softly. "Someday..."  
  



	2. Chapter Two

We stood, silent, side-by-side, on that hill. The hints of an upcoming storm could be felt from the sharp chill in the air; that drove the feeling of a steel knife through your body whenever the wind blew. Still we stood and endured. Today was meant to be a lesson; a lesson of destiny.  
Down at the bottom of the hill, and a considerable distance away, was a pile of rubble. The remains of what used to be the Elemental Temple. A feeling of unearthly calm could be felt radiating from what was left. Looking down, by my legs, I could see Tentomon and Gomamon with a look of intense readiness. They were waiting for my command.  
Even thought we'd never seen Evamon, and we never heard him, all three of us could hear the spine tingling echo of evil's laughter.  
"Do you hear that?" I whispered to them. They remained stiff and silent. "That is the sound of our destiny. You may only be rookies right now, and at a low level at that but someday we'll rise against this evil to lead light to victory."  
"But I'm ready now!" Gomamon growled. "I'm READY!"  
"Calm down," Tentomon chastened him with a calmer approach. "There are only two of us. We need more members. More soldiers for our brigade."  
A thought struck me. It was wild and crazy, but I didn't care. I was to make my satiny to lead an army of Tentomon, and their evolutions, to victory! I would call it "The Bug Brigade".  
"Do you hear that Evamon?!" I shouted at the ruins. "We're coming for you!"  
In unison, the three of us shouted, "You are going down!"  
Of course, we weren't the only ones there. There were more people and their Digimon. One young man with a Patamon walked over to me, smiling.  
"Hey there!" he greeted. "It's really great to see someone else who is as determined to beat evil as me. My name is BackHandOfFate. What's yours?"  
"I'm Squirtel the Squirtle," I replied hesitantly.  
"Well, Squirtel, I want you to have this," he said while handing me $100. I must have been gaping because Tentomon jabbed my leg.  
"I-I-I don't know how to thank you," I stuttered.  
He smiled and replied, "It's okay! Just keep me in mind when you need a friend." He was so kind to me that it was only spontaneous when I wrapped my arms around him in a friendly hug.  
He kept smiling, apparently proving himself an all out friendly guy.  
We got to get a little better acquainted. After meeting him, I started noticing the people around me.  
"Who's that?" I asked, indicating to a guy may age who was delivering a complicating sounding speech.  
"That's supertentomon," BackHandOfFate answered. I also noticed another guy dashing quickly by us all. "And that's darkpandemona83. His Digimon were eaten by Evamon." I gasped and nearly fainted. I could envision all to clearly Tentomon and Gomamon being swallowed up by some huge, ugly, evil thing…  
I shook my head and turned back to BackHandOfFate.  
"May I ask you something?" I requested, trying to sound sweet.  
"Sure!" he exclaimed.  
"Your name is quite long, and I know that nicknames are popular," I started. "So may I call you BHOF?" He nodded readily.  
"Sure! Everyone else does!" he replied. I grinned at my new friend.  
"So do you have a place at the Trainers' Hotel?" I inquired. He nodded.  
"You're new there?" he solicited; this time I nodded. "Well let me explain something then. They don't look kindly on people visiting each other in their rooms; for safety reasons. Instead, you can send a written message to a specific address that the person's room is. You'll have to go to the settings panel in your room and set one."  
"Just liked e-mail," I speculated.  
"That's right," he laughed softly. "The second thing you can do is call the main desk and ask them to install the IM System. With the IM System, you enter a person's specifically set screen name and you talk through that."  
"Like a phone," I contemplated.  
"Better!" he shouted with an extension of his arms. "Like a video phone!" I felt a tingle of excitement bubble up in me.  
"That would be so cool," I giggled. "Right guys?" They both nodded enthusiastically. "Then we'll make a request call when we head back to the Trainers' Hotel." BHOF glanced at his watch.  
"Well it's time we got going," he sighed. "I have to go over to the Arena to start my training. Gotta get all my Digimon ready for the Evamon battle. Care to join us?"  
"Sounds good," I replied, taking out my map.  
"Well then, we'll see you at the Arena Lobby," BHOF waved and disappeared in a flash of his own map.  
Before I left, I listened into supertenomon's lecture once more. It was intriguing just how sophisticated he seemed. Even in his annunciation you could see he was well read and educated.  
I gave him a look of awe while I pressed the button on my map. Even through the bright lights, I could see he had caught the glace in the corner of his eye…  
  
The Arena Lobby was bustling with trainers and their own little armies. A lot of the trainers seemed proud and confident. They were mostly people wearing badges of gold and silver.  
One in particular, who was wearing the golden "admin" badge, seemed proudest, and also the cockiest.  
I walked as close as I dared, considering he had a formidable looking Wargreymon with him, to get a closer look at his badge. There was something inscribed other than admin. I peered to see it. He looked up and saw.  
"If you want to know, newbie," he said hotly. "It's a custom title. It says, 'Look at me!!! I'm Davis!!!' and my name is SS1." Then he stomped off to go make a challenge.  
Most of the non-badge wearers, presumably normal trainers, were just hanging around. One wasn't. He was running around boasting that all his Digimon were unbeatable. I got the feeling that this was another trainer like SS1, except he wore no badge and had a much less intimidating sense of air. Though, his bragging, a twinge of whining tainting it, was enough to make me want to accept his challenge just so he'd shut up.  
But that wasn't my objective right now. At the moment, I only wanted to find BHOF.  
I hovered up slightly, using my mind, and searched over the sea of heads. Then I saw him, with his Patamon perched on his head. I floated back down to the ground.  
"I found him," I said quickly to Gomamon and Tentomon. I picked up Gomamon and carried him in one arm and held tight to Tentomon's talon with the other. It suddenly struck me that having the ability to hold a talon without cutting yourself is a little odd. Now wasn't the time to worry about that.  
I only concentrated on getting by all these people. I sense I was very close now, only a little farther when I felt a hand on my arm. There was a cheerful girl holding me firm.  
"Hey there, newbie!" she laughed. "What's your name?"  
"I'm Squirtel the Squirtle," I repeated.  
"Well I'm Chikyuryu," she introduced herself. "I checked my info scan on my Digivice and saw that your two Digimon were at level 5 and decided you could use a battle. So come on!!" She started to drag me to the doors that read "arena". I sighed and reluctantly followed. I took one more glance and saw that BHOF had been within an arms reach away.  
  
"Okay, I'll explain this to you," she stated after I asked what to do. "You can have up to three matches per battle. After a match, a light will shine so your digis will be healed. The first match we'll have is your Tentomon against my Armadillomon." She patted the Digimon next to her. It trotted onto the Arena to prepare for battle. I gave a hesitant glance to Tentomon, who was already flying to his place.  
Ten the battle started. Tentomon had the speed, and the ability to fly, but Armadillomon had power. The match ended in Armadillomon pinning, nearly crushing, Tentomon to the ground.  
I gasped at the loss, thinking more about Tentomon's pain. I took a step forward to comfort him when that pale red light flashed. Tentomon got up and hovered to me like he did in perfect health.  
"I'm sorry I didn't win," Tentomon apologized with a drooping of his head.  
"It's okay," I whispered, hugging him. "You tried."  
"Next match will be Gomamon against Salamon," CR, as she had previously instructed me to call her, announced. Gomamon proudly trotted out to his place.  
Gomamon bared his teeth at Salamon and launched his attack. Once more, it was a rough battle that kept Tentomon and me on edge, but ended with a critical blow to Gomamon's side. I picked him up and carried him back with me after the light flashed. Now what?  
"This final match will be Tentomon and Gomamon against Gabumon, level 10," CR called out. Tentomon and Gomamon whimpered as the Gabumon stepped into his place. Their confident looks were now faded away after their losses. I figured some words of encouragement were best to be said now.  
"Listen you guys," I addressed them. "This may seem hard, but never forget that as a team we're strong. Stronger than you can imagine. Go out there and combine your strengths, then we'll win!" This drove a little bit more confidence in them. They took their places, gave each other a final glance, and then began.  
Though Gabumon was smart and strong, Tentomon and Gomamon were efficient in all they did. They attacked with perfect timing and precision. They seemed capable of translating their next step with nothing more than a glace. In the end, teamwork ruled supreme as Gabumon hit the mat with a thud.  
The red light flashed and I scooped them up into my arms.  
"We did it!" they cried out over and over. CR watched and grinned.  
"Congratulations," she said. "Next step is the claim our winnings."  
"Our winnings?" I asked, confused. She simply nodded.  
"That's right," she stated calmly. "Based on the intensity of the match, how many you won, ECT. You get a cash reward and levels for your Digimon." I danced around excitedly. "To claim them, go up to that computer and place yours and my screen name. You'll get your reward."  
So I did as I was instructed. After hitting the "enter" the computer hummed a moment. First a flap opened and spat out $40. I took it without hesitation. Then it hummed again as the screen flashed the message, "Please place Digivice on black pad." I saw the pad and put my Digivice on it. The LCD screen on my Digivice flashed some specific data.  
"Tentomon, male, electric, now level 9. Gomamon, male, water, now level 9."  
Then everything stopped moving. I took my Digivice back and slowly smiled.  
"This has been one exciting day," I giggled lightly as I turned to them. "How about we go home and get some ice cream?"  
"Ya!"  
  
I hummed to the radio while scooping out three bowlfuls of strawberry ice cream.  
"Is Tentomon back?" I called into the living room to Gomamon, who was watching a comedy T.V. movie.  
"Not yet!" Gomamon shouted back. "Can I have his ice cream?" I didn't even bother answering him.  
I had sent Tentomon down to the main desk on request for the IM System. I hadn't anticipated he's have taken this long or I'd have gone with him.  
Luckily, by the time I was carrying in the ice cream, Tentomon flew into the room.  
"It's ready!" he announced. "Just go to the settings panel over there and fill out the information."  
I walked to the black box mounted into the wall and opened it's door. The first thing I had to do was set a room screen name.  
"Well since I'm Squirtel and this is room 36," I stated to my two uninterested Digimon as I punched the information in.  
"Now for my IM screen name," I thought. "I'll use the numbers 36, but this time I want something a little prettier sounding." I seared my mind for all the nice things I could think of. My mind wandered to a scene of lying awake at night listening to the rain. "I got it! Raindrops36!" I finalized my decision by entering it into the room settings.  
"It's ready!" I announced. "Come over here, you two, so we can talk to BHOF," I waited patiently for them to situate themselves. Then I went to enter BHOF's IM name at the dial up pad - when I remembered I had never asked what it was.  
The other two must have caught on because in unison they said, "Just try something!" I shrugged and punched in "BackHandOfFate" and waited for a response.  
The screen flickered on and focused as BHOF.  
"Hi!" he grinned. "I was wondering if I'd hear from you!" I blushed as I remembered how close I was to reaching him.  
"I'm sorry about that," I apologized. "But I got taken into a battle with CR."  
"That's great!" he laughed. "Soon you'll be right up there with the big leagues! Be sure not to forget me!"  
I laughed and replied, "How could I? You'll be right there with me!" That got me a few snickers all around. Gomamon began fidgeting and glancing longingly at his ice cream. I have him a gentle shove away.  
"Hey, I can't talk long, but how would you like to get together at the Talk Lounge?" he inquired.  
I shrugged and answered," Sure. I'd love to. What time?"  
"Six o'clock sounds good," he decided. "Have you ever been to the Talk before?" I could remember the shouts of "turtle soup" all too clearly. Still…  
"No," I replied blandly. "Not that I can recall."  
"Oh so you haven't been to the Talk?" he asked, surprised. I shook my head. "Ow wow! Then you really need to go there with me. Socialize and what not!" I grinned. It sounded fun. Tentomon checked the time. Three hours until we were going to meet.  
"I'll see you later, bye," I bid BHOF as I turned off the IM System.  
I was walking on air as I prepared myself to go meet him.  
  
The buzz of conversation roared through the comfortably set room. Once again, I found myself dodging people to get to where I wanted to be, but this time I got there.  
Greeting me with a hug, BHOF exclaimed, "Hey there! You made it!"  
I blushed and hugged back, "I wouldn't miss it for the world! I also brought Tentomon and Gomamon with me."  
BHOF laughed softly, "That's fine. It's great to have more friends around." Tentomon and Gomamon made their own formal greeting. I glanced around nervously at the people looking my way. Being new always made me more shy than usual. I'd make sure that this time I'd be more outgoing.  
But at the moment, I'd rather tell BHOF my story of my abilities.  
He had chosen a beautiful place to talk; right by one of the tree water fountains in the room. I sat on the fountains edge and slipped my hand into the icy cold water. I let my hand trail through the water and already my nerves began to relax.  
Gomamon cleared his throat and gave me this look. I sighed and flicked him with some water. I knew what he meant. Earlier we decided I should tell BHOF of my other forms. But sitting here with my friends by the cool, calm, clear water, I just couldn't bring myself to break the peace.  
Unconsciously, my fingers began to twitch.  
"BHOF," I said softly, ignoring the tingling in my fingertips. I closed my eyes. "There's something I have to tell you." It wasn't until a few minutes later when I finally noticed the eerie silence that had taken over. I cracked my eye open a bit to see everyone within my view was stopping and staring - at me. I raised myself from the fountain; my cheeks burning hot red.  
"What?" I asked innocently. "What is it?" Tentomon pointed just slightly to my right. Gomamon just gaped.  
"Oh, no," he managed to sputter out. I whipped around to see what was wrong.  
The water that poured from the fountain I was just sitting on was illuminating with the rhythmic patterns of blues, deep greens, and purple. All the cool colors used when painting calmness and relaxation - exactly my feelings at the moment.  
I mentally cursed myself out for not have been paying better attention to my powers. Still, I had to clear this mess up. I waved my hand over the fountain and returned it back to normal.  
I slowly walked up to Gomamon and Tentomon, pulling out my map.  
"It's been an interesting experience, BHOF," I said stately. "But I don't believe I fit in here. Goodbye." Before he had a chance to say anything, I teleported us away.  
  
When I entered our room, I dropped everything and ran into my room, locking it. I spent an hour crying into my pillow. Of all things, why did I have to blow my chance to make a good first impression?!  
It was a little after I had calmed myself down that Tentomon knocked on my door.  
"Go away," I moaned. "I don't wanna be around anyone."  
"But it's an official call," Gomamon quipped. "From a mod called Dark Moon Dragon." If it was an official call, I suppose I had no choice. Reluctantly, I opened the door. As I walked over to the IM System I rubbed my eyes to try and hide as many traces of my earlier weeping.  
"Hello?" I asked timidly to the face on the screen. It was a boy, about 17 or 18 at any rate older than me.  
"Are you STS?" he asked. I blinked, unsure of what to say. He sighed deeply. "Are you Squirtel The Squirtel?" I nodded idiotic almost. Fatigue from the night hour and from crying was starting to take its toll. "Well…. On behalf of many people, we were wondering why you ran out like that."  
"Because I don't fit in," I replied, steadying my voice. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth.  
"What do you mean?" he asked, beginning to show a little curiosity.  
"I mean, like what I did at the fountain," I stated. "It's not a normal sight to see someone with psychic abilities." He threw back his head and laughed. "What's so funny, Dark Moon Dragon?"  
"First on all, call me DMD," he said. "Secondly, around here it is a common sight to see people with psychic abilities. If not that, then they have some other form of power."  
"Then why did you all stare?" I asked, unable to figure that part out.  
"Simple," DMD chuckled. "We've never seen a newbie with that much power. Most people don't get experienced with their abilities for a long while. As you have probably noticed already, for something very extravagant to take place, you need a lot of details, especially to make a physical transformation on yourself." He gave me a curious look before smirking.  
"I had heard that there was a Pokemon newbie," he added with a slight laugh. "Squirtel."  
I was dumb stricken as to what to say. What could I say?  
"Um, okay," I replied slowly.  
"So will I be seeing you around the Talk?" he asked. I nodded impulsively. It's hard to say not to someone of higher rank. He grinned, almost evilly. "Goodnight then, STS."  
"Goodnight, DMD," I bid softly while hanging up. I still wasn't quite sure how to take it all yet. I felt like I was in some dreamlike state of mind, and maybe I was.  
At the moment, my main focus was to get to bed and sleep this all off.  
I crawled onto my bed and snuggled under the covers, waiting patiently for Tentomon and Gomamon to also get to bed.  
My arms craved to cling to something for some form of comfort. Tentomon was the closest thing so I reached down by my feet and dragged him up by me.  
Although this surprised him, I didn't hear any complaints. If he had any, he was at least smart enough to not bother me with them. At least not tonight that is.  
  
The next day, I received an extra hour to sleep in. That was sweet.  
"So what's the plan today?" Asked Gomamon, over a warm breakfast of eggs and bacon.  
"I thought I'd stop by the Talk and get better acquainted with some of the other players," I replied calmly. If either of them could hold silverware, I'm sure they would have dropped them guessing from the look of shock on their faces.  
"But what about last night?!" Gomamon spat out.  
"What about it?" I yawned. "According to DMD, it was all a misunderstanding. I'm sure things will go much smoother today. After all, I'm well known now, right?" I ended the conversation by giving a silent toast with my milk glass. Though, it was a bit hard to ignore the stares Tentomon was giving me. He was acting like I was supposed to burst into tears at any moment. I merely raised my brow at him and continued to eat.  
"Well, you're the boss," Gomamon sighed. "Just remember that if someone gives you trouble we'll be there to back you up."  
"Is there someone in specific you wanted to meet?" Tentomon inquired.  
"Well no," I admitted, though I was curious about supertentomon. Something about his mysteriousness intrigues me. I was also hoping to find that one guy, darkpandemona83. Of all the people, I'm sure he would be able to tell me about Evamon.  
I finished off the last of what was on my plate before collecting the dishes.  
"Get ready to go you two," I advised, washing.  
"How are we going to get ready?" asked Tentomon.  
"Well, we're going out in public so you'll need a sense of humor," Gomamon quipped. It was all to easy to see where this was going so I didn't even bother stopping them. Sometimes you had to let them fight it out of themselves.  
"Something more important would be for you to lose that gaudy sarcasm," Tentomon countered.  
"That was so funny, I forgot to laugh."  
"Its' probably easy to forget things with that small a brain."  
"At least my brain is functional, bug breath."  
"Big words fish face. I'm surprised how much your three brain cells can hold."  
"Wanna fight about it, sissy fly?"  
"Quit impersonating an Ogremon. You're not that strong, or smart. In fact, the closest thing to an Ogremon you get is the smell."  
"Well at least it's something to listen to," I thought while I continued my chores.  
  
The Talk wasn't nearly as full as it was last night. That was understandable, of course.  
I tiptoed around the badge wearing authorities. No need to upset them. Though, I stopped right in front of DMD. He smiled at me.  
"Hey, STS," he nodded. "Feel better?" I nodded back.  
"A goodnight's sleep with a warm morning shower is enough to make anyone feel good," I chirped. Tentomon nudged me. I hesitated then nodded. "Hey, DMD… Would it be okay if I changed to my other form?"  
"Other form?" asked Gomamon, suddenly puzzled.  
"Go ahead," DMD stated. "It's better that other people see you at your most different earlier on." I gave a quick nod, and smile, and then changed myself.  
"TRANSFORM!"  
Gomamon stared at me wide-eyed before saying, "Oh. My. God. My trainer is a… a…"  
"Squirtle," Tentomon finished. "A Pokemon/Digimon to be exact."  
Whiles Gomamon was gaping alike a fish; DMD was giving me a devilish smile. Now that I was in a more comfortable form, I just smiled right back with just as much enthusiasm. Tentomon got a bit worried after seeing DMD's glance and gently led me away.  
"I think you'd better get acquainted with some other players," he replied nervously. "Look. There's two players right over there." I trotted over to the two guys.  
"Hello," I piped. One of them grinned.  
"How cute," he laughed. "Hi."  
"I'm Squirtel the Squirtle."  
"I'm darkpandemona83."  
"Oh, so you're that guy," I mused.  
"What guy?" he asked suspiciously.  
"That guy who's Digimon were eaten," I replied. "Someday, over the IM System, could you tell me about it?"  
"Well I guess so," he sighed. "I am an RPG World veteran after all."  
"I'm' surprised you're even here," his companion retorted. "It's a rare sight."  
"Oh shut up, TDE," he laughed.  
"TDE?" I repeated, interested.  
"The Digimon Emperor," the other guy introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."  
"A pleasure," I giggled, showing off with a bow.  
We went on talking, mostly about how strong this player is in comparison to another. How much you can win for battling this boss and how hard it was.  
"So what level are you on, STS?" asked darkpandemon83.  
"Level 1," I muttered. I couldn't help giggling while the other two snickered. I guess we were all in a rather good mood.  
"Poor newbie," darkpandemona83 laughed. "Come on, and I'll buy you a drink. What would you like to have?"  
"What can I have?" I asked.  
"Anything," he laughed, pointing towards a soda machine. "If you can control your powers, and I know you can you can have whatever you want!"  
"Well then," I replied with a devilish grin. "I think I'll have Gatorade."  
"What's with the look of evil?" TDE asked.  
"You'll see," I whispered, following it up with a short fit of evil laughter. He cracked up at that. On the other hand, Tentomon and Gomamon had begun to edge away from me a little bit.  
Moments later, darkpandemona83 returned with our drinks. I winked at TDE and drank mine down in no time flat. Tentomon and Gomamon were now backing away faster.  
It wasn't long until I felt the buzz of energy rip through me.  
"Now I'll tell you why I was laughing," I giggled. "Nothing in the world gets me quite as hyper as Gatorade does!" And with that I took off in a blue streak to run off my energy.  
Tentomon took to the sky saying, "There's no way I'm letting her near me!"  
"Me wither," Gomamon shouted, waddling over to the nearest fountain.  
Naturally I heard them both and being in the state I was in, couldn't' resist teasing them further.  
First I sped over to Gomamon and tackled him in a hug and kissed him sweetly.  
Then I took a running leap and used my mind to make a hover board materialize beneath me. I caught up with Tentomon and slammed into him with another hug.  
Finally I drifted to the ground, my rush of power coming to an end. It turns out I had been glowing the whole time as well.  
Darkpandemona83 and TDE were clapping and laughing. They thought it was an amusing show. Tentomon and Gomamon however…  
"She tackled me!" Gomamon shouted. "And kissed me!" He allowed that to sink in before rubbing his cheek.  
"She rammed me in the shy just to give me a hug," Tentomon stated. I giggled and hugged him again.  
"I guess I just love my Digimon," I snickered. Tentomon sighed and hugged me back.  
"That was very amusing," darkpandemona83 chuckled. "And if your Digimon has that kind of power, I suggest you give them Gatorade before sending them in battles. But I don't think you should get a hold of Gatorade anytime soon…"  



	3. Chapter Three

It was an eventful day at the Talk. I even got to see supertentomon again. He seemed quite above me, sophistication wise that is. I even met a few more friends. Raymondjnt, WarGreymon 2099, and Digihacker to name a few.   
I also met some of the rougher players like The Other Dark Master, VampTai, and Elite Conqueror.   
When I came home I collapsed onto the couch, tired from a full day of socializing. Tentomon hovered next to me, ready to attend to my needs. Gomamon jumped onto me and begged for a petting.   
I smiled and stroked through Gomamon's mohawk after changing back. Then I pulled Tentomon close in a hug and held him there.   
"I'm so tired," I yawned.   
"Looks like an early night for us all," Tentomon yawned back. Indeed, I could already feel myself lulling asleep right there on the couch.   
I closed my eyes and tightened my hold on them both - only to hear the IM System beeping for me to answer it. I groaned as I got up and answered the message. It was darkpandemona83.   
"Hey hey," he greeted. Then he noticed my tired look. "Oh, did I wake you?"   
"More or less," I grumbled. "Why are you calling?"   
"I just felt like talking," he shrugged. "If I'd known you were sleeping…"   
"It's okay," I sighed. "Aren't you tired?"   
"Naw," he laughed. "I live by night. Besides, it's still a little early."   
"If you say so," I giggled. "Well I'm awake now."   
"Since you are, do you want to come over?" he inquired.   
"I thought that people weren't allowed to visit others."   
"Oh that's what they tell all newbies. If you're not a psycho it's alright."   
"Well okay then. What room?"   
"83."   
"I'll be there soon."   
"Peace."   
"Bye." I hung up. Tentomon and Gomamon had fallen asleep. I debated waking them up and decided they'd be fine. I changed into something more casual and sat around ten minutes before leaving.   
I got to his door and hesitated. What was I doing?! I didn't even have Tentomon or Gomamon to protect me. Then, as I knocked on his door, I remembered my powers. I still had that going for me.   
He answered the door and ushered me in. His room was much like mine, only darker in color and there was some pointless junk lying around.   
I sat on the couch and smiled sweetly at my host.   
"What would you like for a snack?" he asked thoughtfully.   
"Oh, I'm fine," I replied. He shrugged as he grabbed a couple bags of popcorn and threw them into the microwave.   
"Popcorn it is," he laughed. I had to giggle a bit myself.   
"So what did you have in mind to talk about?" asked suspiciously.   
"Well you did want to know more about the evils of this world," he replied.   
"But it's so late!" I protested.   
"What else can you think of then?" he asked.   
"I don't know," I mumbled. "You said you were a veteran of this world. How long have you been here?"   
"About a year now," he replied casually. My eyes widened in shock.   
"What did you do about school?!" I exclaimed.   
He grinned and answered," There are schools in this world. Just like the ones back home." Home wasn't something I hadn't thought about.   
"Don't you miss your home?" I whispered. He nodded.   
"Sometimes," he yawned. "But over time it's become more of a memory. I have to warn you… There will be at least one time you will be extremely homesick. A lot of people go home then." I nearly fell over.   
"We can go home?!" I shouted.   
"Yes," he replied gravely. "But I suggest against it. To the right kind of person, this is paradise. Everything you could have ever dreamed of is here and more. Also, you're no longer an outcast. Almost every single one of us is are dreamers, and we understand that.   
Yes you can go home, but you can never come back. In fact, it will seem to you as if all this were all a dream."   
"How do I know this all really isn't a dream?"   
"That's just an answer you'll have to decide for yourself. To the true dreamers, this is reality."   
I knew exactly what he meant. In fact, it was bone chilling how well I understood. And I had thought I was the only one… Finally I really am not the outcast.   
All those years of daydreaming, and getting it all down to details… I was the kid who lived my life in my mind. The one who preferred the virtual reality to authentic.   
Now here is a world where thoughts became material. Where dreaming pays off. Where we were not alone in our quests of thought.   
This was paradise.   
"I won't leave," I whispered. "I'm going to stay."   
"I believe you," he whispered back, smiling.   
  
I stayed a few hours longer, munching on popcorn and chatting away. I returned to my room with a feeling of enlightenment and pure joy. Something I hadn't felt in what seems years.   
I had found a true friend.   
  
"Squirtel, wake up," Tentomon tapped me. I just increased my sleepy hold on him. He let out a small gag. "Squirtle!" I opened my eye a crack and let him go only to reach down and yank Gomamon up to me. The sleepy water type didn't care how much I hugged him.   
"It's past time to get up," Tentomon fretted.   
In unison, Gomamon and I replied, "Five more minutes." Tentomon sighed and yanked our blanket away. I awoke with a start.   
"Tentomon!" I shouted. "Don't do that!" Gomamon was growling threats.   
"Well I had to get you up," he snapped back, gently shoving me to the shower. I grinned and shooed him away.   
He returned back to my room and promptly fell asleep on my pillow. Gomamon grinned evilly.   
I could faintly hear a thump and a shout while showering.   
I arrived just in time to see Tentomon hurtle himself at Gomamon.   
"Knock it off you two!" I ordered. They froze in their actions. "Go outside the room and behave! I need to change! We'll talk about this later." I roughly shoved them out my door and nearly slammed it.   
  
After we had solved out that ordeal, we set out for the day. Mostly, it involved checking level 1, the Arena, and then back to the Talk. I made a decision to momentarily stop back at our room before heading to the Talk. To my luck, I ran into BHOF.   
"Hey there," he smiled after apologizing for running into me. "Just the Pokemon I was looking for."   
"Why were you looking for me?" I inquired, recollecting myself.   
"I have a proposition," he announced. "How would you like it if I co-trained some of your Digimon?"   
"Co-train?" I repeated with only a vague sense of its meaning.   
"Ya," he nodded. "I'll help you train your Digimon."   
"How does it work?"   
"Simple. We just connect our digivices and access the main menu. Select the training option. Under it, should be Co-training. Then you just pick which ones you want co-trained with and who will train them. It will be automatically entered into the memory data base."   
"Well who did you have in mind to train?"   
"Both of them."   
"Well maybe some other day," I decided. "When I get at least two more."   
"Okay, sure!" he agreed. "Just let me know when you're ready. Now I gotta go."   
I was left standing there with my two Digimon.   
"That was certainly interesting," Tentomon piped.   
Gomamon gave my leg a shove and replied, "Come on already! Let's get a move on!"   
I nodded and teleported us to the Talk.   
  
"Well what's up today?" I inquired one of my newer friends, TDE.   
"Dunno," he replied. "I heard there's gonna be a contest though."   
"Oh, cool," I replied. Then someone came up to me. This was the same person I'd seen in my first day at the Arena Lobby - Showtime.   
"Do you have a WarGreymon you could sell me?" he begged.   
"Showtime… She's a newbie," TDE replied for me. "Do you really think she has one?!"   
"No, but if you find one, let me know!" he shouted as he dashed off to ask some more people.   
"I'm sure I will," I muttered sarcastically. My mood considerably lifted at the announcement I heard next.   
"Attention everyone," raymondjnt shouted. "I have something to announce! I will be holding two contests. The first person to solve all my questions will win. The first contest prize is this!" He held a crest that bore no markings but was multi-colored. "A rainbow crest!" I had to enter.   
I walked up to the crowd gathering to take my turn. When it came, I aced it. It was all Pokemon and Digimon questions.   
"The winner is STS," he announced, handing me my prize. I was ecstatic.   
"I won!" I laughed, spinning Gomamon. Gomamon and Tentomon were pretty happy too.   
"The next contest will begin now," raymondjnt yelled above the roar of conversation. "The prize is a warp Digivice."   
"I gotta try this out," I reported while running back to the participating crowd. It was the same two subjects with harder questions; I won that too.   
"STS again!" raymondjnt laughed, giving me a green Digivice.   
"What does a warp Digivice do?" I asked him.   
He shrugged and replied, "I don't know. Go ask him." He pointed to a young man wearing a bronze badge. Bronze?   
I walked up to him and caught a glance at what the badge said.   
It read, "Digital Police Officer." I gulped. These were the people I wanted to stay away from!   
His eyes lit up a bit when he caught sight of me as he asked, "Who are you?"   
"Squirtel the Squirtle," I replied hastily. "Or better yet, STS Now can you tell me what a warp Digivice does?"   
"I swear if I have to explain this to one more newbie I'll scream," he sighed. "A warp Digivice adds twenty levels to a Digimon."   
"Thanks," I said. "What's your name?"   
"Yamato Lee," he sighed, waving me off.   
"Well thanks again," I replied turning to leave.   
"Hey STS," he suddenly said. I paused my step and turned my head around. "I'll be seeing you again. Count on it." I nodded quickly and left even faster.   
  
I returned to my awaiting friends. In a rather rush, I picked up Gomamon and led Tentomon with me.   
"Where are you going?" asked TDE.   
"Away," I replied. "I guess I just want to spend some time with Tentomon and Gomamon."   
"Well okay" he murmured. "Bye."   
"See ya," I shouted back, quickly walking away from the Talk.   
"Where are we going?" Tentomon asked me, worries dripping in his tone.   
"Away," I muttered again.   
"Where's that?" asked Gomamon, innocently.   
"I don't know," I sighed. Then my eye caught a beautiful scene. It was a quiet bridge built over a sparkling brook. I quickly trotted onto the bridge and sat down, plunking Gomamon next to me. When Tentomon landed on my other side I pulled him into my arms and closed my eyes. The sound of the running brook soothed my nerves.   
"Squirtel, what's wrong?" Tentomon whispered.   
"I don't know," I sighed. "I just don't feel safe."   
"You've got us to protect you," Gomamon proclaimed.   
"But you're so weak compared to most people," I sighed again. "What happens if someone strong decided they don't like me? What if you were hurt and killed?! I'd be forced to leave." They were both silent.   
"We'd give our lives for your safety," Tentomon said softly. "We love you."   
I felt tears brimming in my eyes. It had been so long since I last heard those words for me.   
"I love you both too," I choked out, burying my eyes into Gomamon's mohawk as if he were no more than a favorite stuffed doll. I could also feel his warm body tremble softly in my arms as he fought back his own tears. "And I would do anything to keep you two safe."   
"How touching," a voice sneered. I snapped my head up and scanned my surroundings. No one was there and there were no more voices. Only the same cold wind from the day we all went to the Elemental Temple to see, feel, and hear evil's presence.   
  
I stood in front of the mirror and fussed with my hair a bit. Last night had struck a chill with me, though I knew not why.   
Today was a new day and I decided to put last night's event behind me.   
Gomamon poked his head in the room and opened our morning by asking, "What are we doing today?"   
"Well," I yawned, giving up on my stubborn hair. "I think we need to make our team bigger."   
"How do you propose we do that?" Tentomon asked gruffly as he flew past the door.   
"I still have fifteen dollars left," I quipped. "I'll just go on down to the Adoption Center and adopt another Rookie."   
"But Squirtel, we'll be broke if you do!" Gomamon shouted. "You wont' be able to buy anymore things for us."   
"Well boo-hoo," I answered, frowning a smidge. "I won't be able to buy things for myself either. In the long run, it'll be worth it."   
"I hope you know what you're doing," sighed Tentomon as he settled himself on the chair.   
"I do," I chirped while walking out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.   
  
I grinned and petted my new Armadillomon male I nicknamed Sandshrew.   
"Well I hope you made the right choice," Gomamon sighed.   
"I'm positive," I replied cheerfully. "We can always get more money in battles."   
"So you're my new master?" Sandshrew asked, eying me in my Digimon form. "That's neat." I grinned happily.   
"Well I'm glad you like me," I laughed. "But there is one problem. I can't let you travel around with me. I've already got two Rookies."   
"That's aiight," he replied, his Southern accent starting to show. "You can keep me in your master Digivice like the other trainers do." I nodded, and pulled it out. It took me a moment to figure out which buttons to push.   
After many failed attempts, I finally got the right buttons and menus selected. I hit the final command and watched with interest as Sandshrew turned to data then get sucked into the Digivice.   
"Cool," we all whispered. I felt like someone was watching me so I swiveled my eye to the side and saw a guy watching me with somewhat curiosity.   
"Hello," I greeted, turning around. "I'm Squirtel the Squirtle. Who are you?"   
He frowned and muttered," I don't have to tell you, newbie." Then he quickly made an exit. I paused in bewilderment a moment.   
"How odd," Tentomon replied.   
"That seems to be a favorite saying among us," Gomamon replied.   
"I still feel like someone is watching us," I whispered, nudging Tentomon closer to me. "Let's hurry to the Arena Lobby."   
Tentomon hesitated in a nervous matter while I continued my steady pace.   
"What about now?" he whispered. I nodded. The feeling of being watched hadn't been shaken from me. "Then why don't we run?"   
"*Because if we run, whatever it is will chase us!*" I psy messaged his mind.   
"I see," he continued his whisper, keeping pace with me. I turned the corner and entered the Arena Lobby.   
I was being followed, and he turned and faced me. A semi-tall man with a dark disposition was my pursuer. I was paralyzed with fear as I clutched Tentomon and Gomamon closer.   
"Hello newbie," the man spoke gruffly. "I have something for you."   
I shut my eyes in fear as he reached into his trench coat for something.   
"Super-" Tentomon began to shout his attack name when he saw what the man was reaching for. It was a white Digivice.   
"Here," he replied quickly, shoving it in my hand. Then he turned heel and disappeared into eh crowd.   
  
I was in a quiet spot in the Talk, in Digimon form, looking at what had appeared before me from the white Digivice. It was a Veemon, but white.   
"A WhiteVeemon," Tentomon repeated my thoughts, dryly.   
"I think we can see that," Gomamon replied rolling his eyes.   
Seeing the white Veemon with the normal red Veemon eyes kept making my thoughts wander to an albino animal.   
"Hello," said the WhiteVemmon. "I take it that you are my new master."   
"That's right," I said softly to him. "And as your master, I have a nickname for you - Albano."   
Albano nodded, "so it is." I recalled h8im to my Digivice.   
"What a fulfilled day," Gomamon proclaimed. "Tentomon and I are at level 13, and you got two Digimon."   
"And game them unusual nicknames at that," I giggled.   
"You should have seen you face when that guy had us cornered." We all snickered at that. It had been an interesting day, but Tentomon would be even more exciting.   
  
It was the last moments of battle. We had won one and lost the rest. The final match was Tentomon versus an Agumon. Both were down to the last of their strength. Tentomon was struggling.   
"Come on, Tentomon!" I shouted. "I know you have it in you to win!"   
Tentomon soared upwards and released a crackle of electricity. Agumon tried to tough it out but just couldn't. I was teaming with joy when it was announced Tentomon had won. I picked him up into my arms and twirled him happily.   
"Whoa, Squirtel, put me down! I feel funny," Tentomon begged. I set him down and took a step back to give him air. His body started to glow a bit as my Digivice beeped and flashed. I glanced at the LCD screen and saw the words, "Digivolve" flash over and over. When I glanced back to Tentomon, he was already starting to change.   
The light was nearly blinding so I shielded my eyes. As soon as the glow softened I opened my eyes - and looked up.   
Kabutarimon stood before me.   
"Looks like I digivolved," he rumbled. Gomamon was gaping like a fish again.   
"Wow I whispered, taking a step closer. Kabutarimon reached down and gently picked us up.   
"Climb onto my back, " he requested. "I want to take you for a ride." Gomamon did as told, but I changed to my digital form and crawled to the horn on his face and sat behind tat.   
The feeling of the wind whipping by and the sound of his wings humming was indescribable. I felt unstoppable perched behind his horn. Kabutarimon must have been feeling great too judging from his lifts and dives. Gomamon just felt sick.   
"Get me down!" he wailed.   
"Don't' be such a sissy!" Kabutarimon and I shouted in unison. Gomamon shut up and hunkered down closer to Kabutarimon's back. I stood up and gave a shrill Squirtle cry as Kabutarimon went for a steep dive and slowed to a flutter near the ground. Gomamon rolled down his back when we landed, while I hopped off. I hugged his horn before I did and whispered, "Thank you, Kabutarimon. I love you."   
When I had stepped off of him, Kabutarimon de-digivolved back to Tentomon. I picked him up and twirled him, giggling. When I paused to hug him, there was a clapping. I turned around and saw BHOF standing next to Patamon and clapping.   
"Congratulations!" he laughed. "Your first Champion! Hey, nice moves Tentomon."   
Tentomon merely blushed and nodded.   
"That was great!" I shouted, leaping with overflowing joy.   
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Tentomon replied.   
"Too bad I can't say the same for Gomamon, " I giggled. "Hey, where is he anyway?"   
Gomamon and slunk away to be sick somewhere. He preferred underwater flight to aerial.   
  
While we spent all our nights in the Trainer's Hotel, I longed to have a camp out.   
"Sounds great," Tentomon replied his approval after I introduced the idea to them.   
"Sure!" Gomamon grinned. "When will we do it?"   
"I was hoping tonight," I informed, walking back to my bedroom to obtain my pack.   
"Can we take BHOF, please?" Gomamon begged. I nodded, checking the pocket on my pack while Gomamon and Tentomon signed onto the IM System. I chanced upon something very beneficial to us while rummaging through my pocket on the backpack. It was the $100 BHOF had given me. I kept my find to myself while repacking my backpack. I could always surprise them later.   
"Hey, Squirtel!" Gomamon called. "Where should we all meet?"   
"Outside the Trainer's Hotel," I replied. "We'll go in search of a spot from there."   
"Courtesy of me," Tentomon shouted gleefully.   
  
We met outside the main door at the same time. BHOF had his own gear packed with Patamon perched on his head.   
"You think you can stomach this ride?" I teased Gomamon. He muttered something under his breath as I transformed back to human and picked him up.   
"Ready everyone?" inquired Tentomon. When we all confirmed that we were, he digivolved and had everyone climb on. I resumed my post just behind his horn and we took off.   
"*See and good spots yet?*" I psyed BHOF. He shouted something back, but I couldn't hear it over the drone of Kabutarimon's wings. It didn't much matter because I soon saw the perfect spot. We landed in an open clearing next to a lake where fireflies glowed like a lake full of stars.   
"This is perfect," I declared while shrugging my pack off.   
"Ya, great choice!" Patamon agreed.   
"Who'll start the fire?" Gomamon asked aloud, pushing some sticks into a pile.   
"I'll take care of it," replied, BHOF, taking his Digivice from his pack. In a few moments we all got to meet his Agumon, who promptly started a fire.   
While everyone was crowded around the fire, Gomamon and I took a dip in the lake. The cool clear water felt great and the little fireflies that tickled us with their tiny wings felt great too.   
I caught some in my hand and carried them with me while I carried Gomamon in my other arm. I plunked next to Tentomon and opened my hand up, releasing the glow bugs. It was quite a sight to see the four fireflies make loops and circles over the fire.   
The nighttime drowsiness was beginning to set in early for all of us, except Gomamon.   
"Well I think Patamon and me are going to turn in now," yawned BHOF. "What about you three?"   
"I shall too," Tentomon nodded sleepily.   
"I probably will," I replied, rubbing my sleep heavy eyelids.   
"Well not me!" piped Gomamon. "I'm wide awake!"   
"Just so long as you don't keep the rest of us up, I see no harm in it," yawned Patamon, snuggling under BHOF's arm.   
"You won't hear a thing!" he replied, waddling to the lake.   
"What a nut," I giggled, hugging Tentomon close as I settled down for the night.   
A while later I felt something cold and wet on my cheek. I opened my eyes slowly to find Gomamon tapping me. He was dripping wet as well.   
"Squirtel," he whispered quietly. "You awake?"   
"I am now," I whispered back. "What is it?"   
"Come swim with me," he urged. "It'll be fun!"   
"It's late," I shushed him.   
"It's never too late to swim," he winked. There was no arguing with that kind of charm. I slipped my arms from Tentomon so not to awake him. Then I followed Gomamon through the darkness to the calm lake. So I would enjoy it more, I changed to my digital form. Gomamon did a halfhearted cannonball while I did a quiet dive and a felt the chilled water swallow me up.   
We had water races, and played a few games, but mostly we just swam next to each other and talked. It was a night of bonding between Gomamon and I through our love of water. We stayed up just talking after I declared I was too tired to paddle.   
By the time we decided to head back, it was daybreak. I silently dubbed the lake, Lake Night, in honor of spending the entire night there.   
BHOF was already up by then.   
"You two sure got up early," he laughed softly.   
"More than you think," I mumbled, lying back next to Tentomon after reverting to human form. I slipped my arms back around him and gave him a butterfly soft goodnight kiss on his head; then drifted to sleep.   
It woke Tentomon up enough for him to decide it was time to get up. He wriggled out of my arms and tried to re-awake me.   
"Time to get up," he chirped, shaking me.   
So while Kabutarimon was flying us back, Gomamon and I had an in-flight nap.


	4. Chapter Four

With time my army of Digimon grew. Well. Army isn't the correct word. Small group is better. I had a variety of Tentomon types however. Icy, an Ice Tentomon, Firebug, a Kuwagemon, and Arsenist, a FireTentomon, were among my favorites. Tentomon and Gomamon continued to grow too. Soon I had a Kabutarimon and Ikkakumon, but they liked to stay in Rookie form when not battling. We trained and trained, and then I could feel the day for preparation had come. We'd have to attack soon. Unfortunately, there are some things that will hold you back from your goal no matter what. One of them being.  
  
"Tentomon." I groaned weakly, after my sneezing fit. "Can I have another popcycle?" Being sick was no fun at all. Tentomon and Gomamon were nursing me in the meantime.  
  
I took the popcycle from Tentomon and sucked at it weakly. Gomamon was sitting at the foot of my bed, watching over me.  
  
"What would lift your spirits more?" he inquired. I snuggled deeper into the covers and didn't reply. They both sighed and went about their own business.  
  
Tentomon was startled to hear the IM system beeping. So he answered it and was greeted by a stranger and darkpandemona83.  
  
"Yes?" he asked. "If you want to talk to Squirtel, she's sick at the moment."  
  
"That's why we're calling," darkpandemona83 replied. "We wanted to see how she was doing and ask if we could help out someway."  
  
"We?" asked Gomamon, who had wedged himself into view of the screen. "Who's your friend?"  
  
"This is WarGreymon2099," darkpandemona83 answered. "He's seen STS around the Talk before and was wondering about her as well."  
  
"That's nice of you two, but she's very very sick," Tentomon answered. Gomamon could sense his protectiveness. Tentomon was always too protective of me.  
  
"I think I could help," WarGreymon2099 interjected. "If I see what she's sick with, I can get some medicine."  
  
This softened Tentomon up a bit as he responded with, "Well. Then come on over. WarGreymon2099."  
  
"Thanks and you can call me WG2099 instead," he laughed.  
  
"What about me?" asked darkpandemona83.  
  
"No dice," Tentomon replied briskly, hanging up on them both.  
  
"Gee, aren't you Mr. Manners?" Gomamon snorted, waddling off.  
  
Tentomon flew up and smacked him in the back, "Don't lecture me! I'm just looking out for Squirtel. She needs us right now, and you want to invite every player in this world."  
  
"I never said that!" Gomamon shouted bristling. "But did you stop to think that she might enjoy the company?!"  
  
"I don't have to, she's a part of me, I know," Tentomon muttered, flying off.  
  
Gomamon waddled to my room again, seriously upset by now with Tentomon's behavior and curled up to nap.  
  
"You're going to have a visitor today," he yawned. I sat up a bit.  
  
"Really? Who?" I inquired.  
  
"WarGreymon2099," he responded, drifting to sleep. I laid back down and fell asleep wondering just who he was.  
  
Tentomon hesitantly opened the door after hearing the knock. I was still napping, and he didn't want me disturbed at this hour.  
  
"Hi!" the guy at the door greeted, WG2099. Tentomon yanked him in and shushed him. "What?"  
  
"Squirtel is napping right now," he scolded. WG2099 nodded and bit his lower lip.  
  
"Err, sorry about that," he mumbled. "So can I see her?"  
  
"I suppose." muttered Tentomon, leading him to my room. "But I'll be watching you!"  
  
Gomamon opened his eyes and saw WG2099, and smiled. He nudged my feet gently and whispered, "Squirtel get up. You have a visitor."  
  
I slowly opened my eyes, wishing I could escape back into the warm numbness of sleep. Gomamon noticed and shook my feet again, then helped me sit up.  
  
"Boy you don't look good, do you?" he mumbled, looking me over.  
  
"Watch where your eyes wonder!" Tentomon snapped. His eyes quickly fixated themselves to mine again.  
  
"So what are your symptoms?" he inquired, pulling up a chair.  
  
"Uhn.." Was I could muster out, my eyes starting to close again. "Gomamon."  
  
"Fine, I'll tell you," Gomamon sighed. "Sore throat, fatigue, sleepiness, and sneeze."  
  
"Just sounds like the common cold," WG2099 shrugged.  
  
"I could have told you that," Tentomon sighed, trying to urge WG2099 to get up and leave. Gomamon swatted at Tentomon.  
  
"Don't be so rude!" he growled.  
  
"No, it's alright," he muttered, standing up. I forced my eyes open again.  
  
"No." I requested, practically whispering. "Please.Stay. It's nice. When people come." WG2099 smiled graciously and sat back down. Tentomon growled angrily and flew off into another room.  
  
"Don't mind him," Gomamon apologized. "He's just feeling over protective today."  
  
"That's fine," he yawned. "So what should I do while I'm here?"  
  
Gomamon and WG2099 spent an hour at most talking about miscellaneous things with one another. All the while, Tentomon remained in the living room, skulking and sulking. When WG2099 walked back out, he flew up quickly and opened the door for him.  
  
"Well it was nice seeing you," he forced himself to say. WG2099 laughed and nodded, walking through the door. "Bye."  
  
"By-"  
  
Tentomon slammed the door shut and flew into my room, checking over me.  
  
"One of these days, Tentomon," Gomamon muttered, scuttling over to the couch. "One of these days."  
  
"How do you feel now?" Tentomon inquired, as I stood up and stretched a couple days later.  
  
"Much better, thank you," I laughed happily. I still had some pains in my side, and a runny nose, but other than that I was fine.  
  
"Good," he sighed in relief. "Well in my spare time, I was looking over our total stats and." He smiled at me.  
  
"And?" I continued.  
  
"And we're ready to go against the Level One boss!" he announced happily. I grabbed his talons and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Do you mean it? Oh Tentomon this is wonderful!" I exclaimed. Tentomon laughed happily.  
  
"Well what are you waiting for?" he inquired. "Let's go!" I nodded, grabbed Gomamon into my arms, the teleportation map, and my master Digivice and we all went to see the level One boss again.  
  
"STOP!" A huge Shellmon bellowed. "Who goes?!"  
  
"I, Squirtel the Squirtle, wants to pass this level," I announced, trying not to shake.  
  
"THEN YOU MUST STOP ME!" The Shellmon bellowed. "I AM LEVEL 13, CAN YOU HANDLE ME!?"  
  
"Gomamon, Digivolve!" I shouted, pointing at his target.  
  
"Gomamon digivolved too!!!" Gomamon shouted. "Ikkakumon!"  
  
"Ikkakumon's at level. 15," I announced happily. "Take him on!"  
  
"HARPOON TORPEDO!" Ikkakumon shouted, launching his attack. Shellmon took the hit hard and saw how obvious it was he was up against his match. He tried a weak Hydro Cannon attack, but Ikkakumon was winning with another Harpoon Torpedo.  
  
"No! Seadramon, help me!" Shellmon shouted. Seadramon slithered out of the river that was nearby and joined in the battle.  
  
"I AM SEADRAMON, LEVEL 18!" Seadramon roared. "Ice Blast!" Ikkakumon was driven back a little from the attack.  
  
"Okay then, you help too Icy!" I shouted, taking out my Digivice and releasing her from data storage. Icy flew out and combined her attacks with Ikkakumon's. It still wasn't enough.  
  
"Me!" Tentomon shouted. "Send me in!  
  
"No, Tentomon, I have a plan," I whispered. "Go, Arsenist!" Soon she was in on a trio attack on the two guards. It didn't look good, but the teamwork paid off and we beat them both!  
  
"Are we done?" Inquired Icy. I shook my head. "Then who's left?" As soon as she stated her question, a loud buzzing was heard. A shadow loomed over us and then a Digimon landed before us.  
  
"I AM KUWAGEMON!" he shouted. "LEVEL 24! IN ORDER TO PASS THIS LEVEL YOU MUST DEFEAT ME!"  
  
My gaze went to my three previously battling Digimon. They seemed so tired, and Ikkakumon had de-digivolved to Gomamon. I smiled softly and squeezed my master Digivice in my hand. Then I released him - FireBug.  
  
"I'm ready, Squirtel!" he shouted, fired up. "BURNING BITE!" He got a good piece of Kuwagemon, but he easily tossed him to the side.  
  
"Again!" I ordered, hoping he could hold on. He got another strong attack in, and suffered another blow. It was time to end this. "Tentomon, digivolve and team up."  
  
"About time!" he shouted, taking flight along side FireBug. "TENTOMON DIGIVOLVE TOOOO!!!! KABUTARIMON!" I was never gladder to see Kabutarimon as he fired his Supershocker, combined with FireBug's Burning Bite to blow Kuwagemon to digital dust.  
  
"We. Won?"  
  
Tentomon, Gomamon, and I were jumping like nuts at the Talk. We were ecstatic. I could swear I'd start flying, I was so happy. We'd beaten the boss! Some people were giving us the weirdest stares; others laughed, and some even started to join us in a crowd. Everyone was all smiles for the talkative newbie they liked.  
  
"That's great to hear, STS!" BHOF exclaimed.  
  
"Ya, great job," WG2099 commented.  
  
"Wish I was there to see it," laughed darkpandemona83. But then he secretly gave me a small smirk, to prove he was teasing me again. That's darkpandemona83 for you. You never knew whether he meant what he was saying or not.  
  
"How are we going to celebrate?" asked Tentomon, tugging at my tail playfully. I swatted him away and grinned.  
  
"Anyway we darn please!" I shouted joyfully.  
  
"I say, we have a party," Gomamon decided.  
  
"Good idea, but how do we start one?" I asked. WG2099 rubbed his hands together excitedly.  
  
"Simple," he commented, grinning happily. "You're not the only one who can get things mentally, you're just one of the bests. I can do a small thing." He closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon we all had a soda in our hands. "See?"  
  
"That's cool, but where did it come from?" I asked, inspecting mine.  
  
"Thin air," he shrugged.  
  
"You mean you didn't teleport it," Gomamon asked in wonder. "from an already existing area?"  
  
"Nope," smirked WG2099. "That's the beauty of this world."  
  
"Is that so?" I inquired slyly. "Okay boys, prepare for a party!" They gave a cheer and stepped back. I shook out my hands, like it would have anything to do with powers, and concentrated. I couldn't see what I was creating, except for the picture in my mind.  
  
"Tentomon tell me what appears in order, alright?" I called back to him, still concentrating.  
  
"There's a square."  
  
"I bet I know what that's gonna be."  
  
"Oh, it's a dance floor. A nice sized one!" Already I could feel my mind a bit fatigued.  
  
"Now there's a table. Oh! With bowls of chips and soda!"  
  
"Better be careful, Squirtel, there's a crowd forming."  
  
"Well it's not like I can see that right now, Gomamon."  
  
"Now. There's. A shiny ball?"  
  
"That's a disco ball you nut case!"  
  
"Shut up, Gomamon."  
  
"Both of you shut up and keep telling me what's happening!" My mind was getting a dull ache.  
  
"Okay, calm down. Now. There's. Woah."  
  
"What?! What?!"  
  
"A kick arse stereo system!!"  
  
"I don't feel good. Tell me when it's finished."  
  
"Just about. Almost."  
  
I thought to myself quickly, "Finish up before I faint!!"  
  
"There."  
  
I felt something give deep in my mind, and suddenly I was in a flood of pain. I collapsed to my side.  
  
"Squirtel! Squirtel! Wake up!"  
  
I fluttered my eyes open, then groaned. That hurt.  
  
"What happened?" I moaned. I was in someone's arms, but who?  
  
"You collapsed, STS," my holder said calmly. I tipped my head back a bit. It was WG2099, massaging my temples.  
  
"Don't touch me," I snapped bitterly. He paid no heed and continued.  
  
"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you," he sighed. "I'm practically a doctor."  
  
"Where are your credentials?" I asked, in an icy tone. He rolled his eyes.  
  
"Just trust him, STS," BHOF whispered. "I've seen him, he's good with psychics."  
  
"*Is he psychic*" I psyed to BHOF. I got a throb in my mind and WG2099 pressed a bit harder on my temples.  
  
"Stop it!" I shouted, trying to sit up. He calmly pushed me back down and continued.  
  
"Quit using your powers," he lectured.  
  
"Well no, he's not," BHOF admitted.  
  
"Then why should I trust him?" I sneered. I was in no mood for politeness.  
  
"Because you can ask any psychic, shape shifter, whatever, here and you'll get pretty much the same answer," he said hotly. I was beginning to get to him.  
  
"What, that you force your treatments on your patients?" I laughed sourly. He gave a sharp jab to my temples and I howled in pain.  
  
"Don't hurt her!" Tentomon growled.  
  
"I didn't mean to," he muttered. After a few more moments he let go of me. "You're free, my slave."  
  
"Oh ha ha," I mocked. "What happened with the dance?" I could hear the music playing loudly.  
  
"It's a BIG hit," Gomamon laughed. "Great job!"  
  
"Gee. Thanks," I yawned. Stretching, I winced again. I still wasn't in the best of shape. WG2099 steadied me but I shook him off. I could almost feel the sadness in his sigh. I felt a deep stab of regret, but then quickly shed it. He was just some guy. Tentomon hovered around me protectively. The only guy I would ever care about.  
  
"Oh, Squirtel, you had me worried sick!" he fretted. I hugged him close. "Don't ever push yourself like that again!!"  
  
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "Really I am."  
  
"Well, I guess you are forgiven," Tentomon sighed and hugged back.  
  
"I think you'd better go home and rest," WG2099 advised. "Fourth of July is coming up in a few days, and around here that's a big event. So go home, and sleep."  
  
"I'll do whatever I pleased," I growled. Then regretted that as well, I added, "But I guess you might be right."  
  
So I teleported back to our room, all three of us, and snuggled into the bed. Before drifting to sleep, I thought, "Fourth of July is big, huh? We'll see how big." 


	5. Chapter Five - Part 1

Gazing around the RPG, I was amazed; everyone was in such a rush, but what for? I tried to ask passer-bys if they knew what all this was about, but came up empty handed each time…  
  
"Sorry, too busy to chat."  
  
"Go ask someone else."  
  
"I'm not sure, I just have to do this."  
  
"Out of my way!"  
  
"Ask me later."  
  
"You'll see…"  
  
Tentomon and Gomamon didn't seem to have any better luck than I did. We retreated to a corner of the Talk that wasn't being changed or used for something. What on Earth was all this rush about?  
  
"Hey, I see WG2099 and BHOF!" Gomamon shouted. "Let's get them to explain it to us."  
  
"I don't see why we need that WarGreymon fellow here," Tentomon muttered. I calmly stroked his antenna.  
  
"Now, Tentomon, we BOTH need to be courteous," I said softly to him. He settled down immediately while Gomamon just rolled his eyes.  
  
"Hey! BHOF! WG2099! Over here!" Gomamon waved to them. The two looked over and grinned, casually strolling over.  
  
"It's good to see you two," I sighed exasperatedly. "With all the rush, I'm totally confused. What's going on?"  
  
"Everyone's getting ready for the big Fourth of July party," BHOF explained. "We were just about to do something ourselves but it seems everyone else has taken the jobs that were left after the Admins and Board Mods got first pick."  
  
"So what should we do?" I inquired, standing up and hugging Tentomon in my arms.  
  
"We were going to go relax somewhere, and maybe get some training done," WG2099 said smoothly. Tentomon kept an icy glaze transfixed on him, and only let up after I gave him a sharp poke in the spikes.  
  
"Sounds fun!" Gomamon piped up. WG2099 smiled and pet his head. "Hey! That tickles!" He laughed and stopped. All the while I was just gazing at him. This time I got the sharp poke from Tentomon.  
  
"Stop it," he hissed to me. I nodded and looked away.  
  
"Let's go find somewhere peaceful to sit down and then we'll train," I suggested. WG2099 nodded but BHOF looked nervously at the time.  
  
"I better train first," he sighed. "I'll see you two later. Bye." WG2099 and I said our departures to our friend.  
  
"I guess it's just you and me," he smiled.  
  
"And me…" Tentomon added bitterly.  
  
"Yes, of course, and you," he gave him a sweet smile. Tentomon just looked away. "He doesn't like me much, does he?"  
  
"He's just a little protective," I apologized, anxiously. Why was Tentomon embarrassing me like this?  
  
"It's alright," WG2099 smiled at me. "Let's just go find that nice place to relax."  
  
"Sounds like a date!" I laughed, but cut myself short in a matter of seconds. My face started to glow bright red with embarrassment. Did I say that out loud?! WG2099 was blushing as well, and just as he was going to comment, another player ran up to us.  
  
"Okay you two," he said in an authorities voice, "we can't have people standing around on such an important day. Get going and get some work done!"  
  
"Who are you?" Gomamon retorted. The player looked down at Gomamon and snarled a little.  
  
"It's BeTheMan to you," he huffed. "Now MOVE! Before I kill you!"  
  
Tentomon, Gomamon, and I gaped at him as he hurried off, while WG2099 started snickering. Tentomon was on the edge of snapping as he turned to him and shouted, "What in the world is so funny about a death threat!?"  
  
WG2099 grinned and replied, "Chill out… That's how BTM reacts around everyone…"  
  
"What a very… Disturbed person," I whispered to myself, taking a step closer to WG2099. He slung his arm around my shoulder and started to lead me away.  
  
"Don't worry about him," WG2099 said nonchalantly. "We don't have to do any work right now. Come on, let's go find that place to sit down. I've got one in mind now."  
  
"Oh?" I queried. "Where?"  
  
"You'll see…"  
  
"This reminds me of a cafeteria," I muttered, looking at the rows and rows of tables and chairs will some people just lounging around. There were also people sitting in booths around a table.  
  
"It's a small nook of the Talk," WG2099 explained. "There's often a different person serving here everyday. Today, no one is, yet, so there's only going to be the normal vending machine foods. But it's a nice place to go to get away from all the gabbing going on."  
  
"Hey WG2099!!"  
  
I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. WG2099 turned me to face another young man.  
  
"STS," WG2099 started, "meet MetalGreymon5000. He's crazy, but I think you've come to realize everyone here is."  
  
"Of course," I giggled. "I am too."  
  
"Ahh, so you're the new 'Squirt' around I've heard so much about from WG2099," MG5000 laughed. "It's nice to meet ya."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you too," I replied cautiously.  
  
"Come on, sit down, and have a rest," he said, taking WG2099's arm off of me and replacing it with his own. Tentomon, who had been hovering behind us and muttering angry things the entire time, had had enough and boldly wedge himself between me and MG5000, forcing him to let go of my arm.  
  
"Feisty little Tentomon you have there," MG5000 quipped. "Does he have a nickname?"  
  
"No," I replied. "Neither does my Gomamon." I nodded down to Gomamon, who was grinning up at MG5000 in his always-friendly manner.  
  
"Hey, he looks a lot nicer," MG5000 laughed, taking my hand this time and guiding me to a table with two other guys there, relaxing.  
  
They looked up at me and grinned evilly until MG5000 gave them a dirty look each.  
  
"STS," he said, "I'd like you to meet the other two guys of our foursome group." He pointed to the first one, closest to me. "That's Jim Is The Name. But everyone just calls him Jim." He pointed to the guy sitting next to Jim. "And that's Gojirazard. He's the most insane person on the RPG board. Period."  
  
"Is he literally insane?" I asked, out of pure curiosity.  
  
"Just about," they all laughed.  
  
"Well, it's nice to meet you Gojirazard," I said softly. "I'm STS."  
  
"Call me Goji," he replied, smiling at me. "I'm a happy little buffalo."  
  
They guys sniggered while I took a step back.  
  
"We warned you," Jim laughed. He patted the spot on the booth next to him. "Come and sit by me, madam."  
  
"Oh, you know French?" I replied, taking the seat.  
  
"Oui, madam," he smiled, leaning closer. Tentomon's wings sparked out a warning and he quickly sat back straight up.  
  
"You're going to wear yourself out doing that," Gomamon hissed to him.  
  
"Nonsense," Tentomon replied jadedly. "I've got plenty of energy."  
  
"You'll need it," Gomamon whispered, "if you plan to keep an eye on her, and protect her during the entire Fourth of July smash. Although, I don't think she needs protecting."  
  
"Keep your nose out of my business," he sighed, resting his head on my leg.  
  
"They don't get along, do they?" WG2099 asked, sitting next to Tentomon.  
  
"Not always," I said, stroking Tentomon's antenna causing him to wriggle happily now and then. "But I love them both." MG5000 picked up Gomamon and held him in his arms. Gomamon laughed and deliberately put up a struggle. MG5000 put up with it in good humor.  
  
"May I…?" Jim trailed off, watching Tentomon's pleasant response to my petting him.  
  
"Of course you may," I said, repressing a giggle and taking my hand away. Jim leaned over and gave Tentomon a tiny pat on the head.  
  
"Nice bugg- AHH!!!!!!" Jim screamed after Tentomon immediately sensed it wasn't me petting him any longer and gave Jim a good dose of his Supershocker.  
  
"Enough, Tentomon," I laughed. Tentomon stopped and relaxed once more as I put my hand back on his head.  
  
"Crazy bug," Jim muttered as static buzzed here and there on him.  
  
"I hope you like your Jims well done," Goji quipped. The whole table, except for Jim of course, got a good laugh out of that one.  
  
"Well, we should really go pitch in for the July party," MG5000 sighed, setting Gomamon back down on the table. "Anyone coming?"  
  
"I will," Goji and Jim both replied. They gave WG2099 a quick look, and so did I.  
  
"Well, I was going to train a little with STS," he said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
Jim and MG5000 exchanged glances before smirking evilly.  
  
"Fine by us," Jim said. "Have fun, 'training'." WG2099 was about to comment but all three got away before he could get a word in otherwise.  
  
"It's alright," I laughed softly. "Just ignore them." WG2099 offered his hand and gently lifted me out of the booth, with Tentomon tucked under one of my arms and Gomamon underneath one of his.  
  
"Shall we train?"  
  
"Let's." 


	6. Chapter Five - Part 2: Fourth of July Sp...

I sat back and grinned while Tentomon and Gomamon jested around with some of WG2099's Digimon. He was sitting next to me, keeping his vigil on his Digimon to make sure they didn't get too rough. I leaned against him and felt his arm sling around me. It made a small blush creep into my cheeks. A stray Supershocker forced us apart.

            "Watch it, Tentomon!" I shouted at my companion. He just shrugged and continued.

            We settled back down and WG2099 whispered to me, "I don't mind, Squirtel. I'm sorry I make him so jealous."

            "It's okay," I whispered back. "Tentomon would get jealous at anyone, he's very overprotective of me."

            "But why?" he asked. "My partner is protective of me too, but at least you can see he's letting me be with whoever I want. I think there's something more than loyalty in your Digimon's heart."

            I was a little taken back, definitely surprise, but I didn't get angry… It seemed so unrealistic, and at the same time logical. A Digimon in love with his partner? But why else would Tentomon be so reluctant to let me be around guys? He never got so uptight when I was speaking with the girl players… I shook my head; if Tentomon really did feel that way, I wouldn't bring it up until he felt ready, to avoid an embarrassing scene for the both of us.

            WG2099 slipped his arm back around me, this time not being faced with my Tentomon's fury. Now they had stopped battling and instead clustered in a little group to talk and make bad jokes. Meanwhile, WG2099 was explaining the special significance of Independence Day on the RPG.

            "There's a huge party that everyone gets involved in, newbies and oldbies alike," he started, "with lots of food, music, dancing and everything else a good party has. I provide the fireworks."

            He gave a wide grin at me.

            "Totally legal fireworks… Yes… 'legal'…"

            I leaned against him laughing, making Gomamon and Tentomon glance over and sweatdroped.

            "Can I help?" I inquired pleading. He laughed.

            "Of course," he said. "We need all the help we can get. Some mods enforce it, as you saw BTM do."

            "What if Evamon attacks?" I whispered, wondering the worst.

            "Evamon's not THAT stupid," he snickered.

            "I don't know," I drawled, "he was stupid enough to attack this world."

            WG2099 snickered and added, "Well he's going down anyways. One way or another, we'll be the victors in this war for our lives and our Digimon's lives."

            I slid down on him a little further so my head was resting on his chest, and I could stare at the clouds moving slowly across the crisp blue sky.

            "Do you think we were chosen for a reason, or did this world just take people at random because it needed it?" I inquired. WG2099 didn't answer, but instead allowed his gaze to travel to the cloud I was staring at. It looked like a Digivice. He sighed deeply and stroked my hair while thinking of a proper answer. I closed my eyes happily and allowed him to think.

            "I think…" he said slowly, "that we're special. I think we were chosen because we, not only believe that such a world as this exists, but because we want it with such a passion that this world was able to sense it, from so far away."

            I smiled up at him, "That was deep…"

            "Thanks," he blushed. "I do say something right once in a while."

            "You say it more often than that," I argued. We bantered back and forth for a while, getting a couple ugly looking glares from Tentomon in the process.

            He looked at the time and remarked, "Come on, Squirtel. We better get back and help out. The party is going to begin soon."

            Our job was not exactly the most pleasant, or exciting. Having an electric type as my partner, we were supposed to help with the lighting. There were going to be lots of decretive lamps strung about, and candles everywhere. The people with fire types handled the candles and torches. Now we had to charge up each of the mini-lamps, which were equipped with a tiny store for electricity. No plugging in was necessary. Tentomon had no trouble going from lamp to lamp and filling it with bits of Supershocker. I wound up wandering around and watching everyone else do their jobs.

            My eyes caught one particularly eccentric character. He was dancing around his Betamon and singing quite out of tune. I found myself giggling at him, which caused him to look over.

            "Hey there!" he grinned and spun over to me. "What's your name?"

            "I'm Squirtel the Squirtle," I said proudly. "But you can call me STS. Who are you?"

            "My name is Dr. Tomoe123," he announced with as much prestige as I had. "And you can call me Dr. T."

            He continued his odd dance around his Betamon, who seemed to take it for granted what his trainer was doing.

            "Umm… Excuse me, but what is that dance you're doing?" I inquired carefully. Tentomon paused in his work to look over, and snicker at the display.

            "It's the crazy dance!" Dr. T laughed. He grabbed my hands and twirled me. I knew we looked very stupid, spinning around and doing little jumps, but it felt oddly good. It felt kinda free. He finally let go, and I stumbled around dizzy a moment, not regaining my senses until I heard someone clap. When I turned around there stood a young man, about three years older than myself, with an Agumon that looked like it was made of legos beside him.

            "Good show!" he laughed. His lego Agumon was laughing as well. Tentomon bristled and flew in a tight, protective circle around me.

            "Who are you?" Dr. T and I asked in unison.

            "I'm fujcycle13," he introduced himself with a bow. "And this is my ToyAgumon, Amdarrien"

            "What an odd looking Digimon," Tentomon remarked, giving the ToyAgumon a little jab with his talon.

            "You're odd too," Amdarrien replied, poking Tentomon back. The two of them had a poking contest until a moderator passed by and told us to get back to work. For the rest of my job, I worked along side Fuj and Dr. T, making jokes, and certainly making the job go faster and more fun.

            We stood back and admired our work. The entire Talk was lit up like a Christmas tree. The lanterns each glowed with a soft, magical hue to them. The candles where flickering in the sunset, ensuring that the night would be just perfect.

            "Well now that my job's done, I better get back," Dr. T replied, walking off. "See you around sometime, STS!"

            "Ya, I better get changed for tonight too," fujcycle commented, waving and walking off with his ToyAgumon.

            "That's our cue, Tentomon," I said, smiling a little. I bent down and picked Gomamon up, preparing to hit the button on my map to teleport.

            "Wait!"

            I looked up and grinned as I saw WG2099 running towards us with his Agumon behind him.

            "I'm waiting, there's no need for you to get a collapsed lung," I laughed as he slowed to a stop to catch his breath.

            "I was… just wondering… if you'd like… to walk there…" he panted.

            "Won't I be late for the party?" I asked, rubbing his back. "Breathe, WG. Breathe!"

            "I am!" he smiled, standing up. "So how about it?"

            "No," said Tentomon bluntly. "Let's go."

            "He didn't ask YOU, dimwit," Gomamon growled. "Go on, Squirtel…"

            "Thank you Gomamon," I sighed, stroking his head. "I'd love to, WG2099." He smiled widely at me and took my free hand in his.

            "Good, because I don't want to see you getting hurt. Tonight is going to be crazy. So it's better safe than sorry to have an escort."

            "Protecting her is MY job!" Tentomon shouted.

            Gomamon glared at him and mouthed the words, "shut up."

            Tentomon sighed, flew in the back of the little group, and trailed behind grumbling…

            I turned on the radio once I was in my room and danced around happily, close to the dance Dr. T had shown me previously. Gomamon and Tentomon sat on the couch to watch me curiously.

            "What are you doing, Squirtel?" Gomamon inquired.

            "Dancing!" I laughed, twirling.

            "Why?" Tentomon put in.

            "I need to practice for tonight," I said breathlessly. "I'll be dancing if I get lucky!"

            "Can we help you practice?" Tentomon pleaded. I stroked his antenna.

            "No, Tentomon," I sighed. "I'm going to be alone tonight."

            "WHAT!?" Tentomon shouted, flying up a little.

            Gomamon smiled and chirped, "Have fun!"

            I grinned and pat Gomamon on the head. "Thanks Gomamon. Tentomon, calm down before you blow a fuse!" With that, I twirled into my bedroom and shut the door to change.

            "What's your problem?" Gomamon glared at Tentomon.

            "Nothing…" he glowered. "If you excuse me, I have some plans to make that involve a certain dino digi for later…"

            I quietly left the vicinity of my room, double checking that the two of them stayed, and teleported back to the Talk. The Admins had changed the scenery so that the Talk was now an outside party with a few scattered buildings as dance clubs. I smiled and walked around. The party hadn't really started yet; there weren't a whole lot of people. Some music played in the background and I casually picked my way through small crowds, wondering whom I'd meet.

            "Hey, I've seen you before," a voice commented. I was hoping whomever it was, was referring to me and turned around to meet the source. A female roughly three years older than me, grinned. "My name is Y2kadosal. But you can just call me Y2k. And you're… STS? Right?"

            "That's correct," I smiled, shaking her hand. "Ready for the big party tonight?"

            "You bet!" she grinned. "I get to help start the bomb fire."

            "Just don't get caught in it yourself," I giggled. She sweat dropped and looked at me like I knew something I shouldn't have. "What?"

            "Nothing…" she said slowly. "Just… An inside joke you could call it. I better get going. I'm going to make Dr. T save a dance for me!" With that she ran off. I smiled and continued my stroll around, looking for a familiar face in the early crowds. When I thought I found no one, I saw him… Supertentomon…

            "Now's my chance," I thought, walking over. "Maybe he'll be friends with me…"

            He seemed to be staring off in space, or perhaps just gazing at the other players lounge around. I very softly tapped him on the shoulder, but didn't get a response.

            "Excuse me," I said softly. He snapped out of his gaze and looked at me. His eyes pierced through me, as though analyzing me. He finally stopped and smiled.

            "Hello," was his simple response.

            "Hello!" I greeted back, grinning. "My name is ST-

            "STS," he finished for me. "I know."

            "Oh, well I don't remember us meeting."

            "We haven't, formally that is. But I've seen you around."

            "Well I've seen you around too. You're quite smart."

            "Yes I know I am. Thank you."

            "You're welcome. So will you be around for most of the party?"

            "I'll drop in…" he drawled, "though that will be it."

            "Oh," I said softly. "Well okay. It was nice finally talking to you. Goodbye."

            "Goodbye."

            "Well that was weird," I thought, strolling along. "Though… I wonder if that's what it's like to talk to a genius…" I almost didn't see the person standing in front of me and bumped into him.

            "Oh I'm sorry… er…" I stammered.

            "PeterN," he said. I noticed his moderator badge and backed off.

            "I'm so sorry PeterN, sir," I said shakily. I definitely didn't want to get on a moderator's bad side. He shrugged.

            "Don't be afraid of me," he replied casually. "I'm the laziest of the mods. I don't get mad at anyone."

            "Thank you," I said, and took off in the direction I was going, adding under my breath, "I'll remember that…" Then I continued on my walk of curiosity…

            Everything was a hum of excitement as swarms of people moved from one party to the next. Already the biggest party house had to close because too many people where using it and it ran out of resources. I just wandered from one spot to the next, meeting all sorts of people. Some of them I knew, such as Goji, MG, Dr. T, and fuji. Dr. T was actually spreading his dance craze around the other players that lounged around him, fuji included. Some of the people I didn't know, like DigiHacker, Fallen Angel Holly, Lighting Strikes Twice, and AkumaYukiYamamon. I tried my best to get to know each. While talking to DH, I had the strange feeling that I should get on his good side now. Like some people claim they feel when talking to a co-worker that eventually turns into his boss. FAH was an eccentric, odd, but interestingly kind dark type… She wasn't quite as odd as Goji was, though definitely had earned her own rank of insanity. But I couldn't find the one person I was actually looking for… Until he ran right into me.

            "Oof! Oh I'm sorry," WG2099 apologized. Then he collected his sense to see who it was. "STS! I've been looking all over for you!"

            "What a coincidence," I grinned. "I've been looking for you." He slung his arm around me and steered me away from the crowd, so we could talk.

            "Did you bring your digis?" he asked. I shook my head. "Why not?"

            "Oh, I didn't want the night to get spoiled," I sighed. "I bet that sounds awful doesn't it?"

            "Naw," he replied. "I didn't bring mine either."

            "Same reason?"

            "Yep."

            "What if there's a fight?"

            "Then I'll run and hide," he said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and took a sip of soda from my cup. The best part of tonight was how everything is free. Free food, free soda, and free fireworks. Anything you could think of really.

            He pulled me a little closer as we walked by YamatoLee. YL bumped into WG2099, and said gruffly an apology, then stopped and stared at me.

            I shivered and snuggled closer to WG2099.

            "I'll see you around some other time, STS…"

            WG2099 glared and rubs my shoulder and arm as we finally passed by. He let out a sigh of relief and loosened his grip on me.

            "What was that all about?" I whispered. 

He stared ahead for a few moments before replying, "I don't know how he ever made police officer… That guy gives me the creeps."

"Ya, me too," I sighed and hugged his arm.

"Do me a favor, STS," he said low and quietly. "Stay away from him."

"You don't have to tell me twice," I muttered. He smiled and led me over to a bench to sit down. I smiled and leaned against him while watching some of the fireworks go off.

He tipped my head to lay on his shoulder while commenting, "Won't be long and it'll be my turn. I set off the second biggest set of… Legal… Fireworks." I smiled and slowly wrapped my arms around him.

"It's nice not having a jolt of electricity between us," I smiled. He nodded and laughed. We stared around some more. Music was playing, it was a slow song. Mostly it had been loud, fast, party music, but I guess they wanted something romantic. 

WG2099 stood up and took my hand in his. He was blushing furiously as he asked, "Um, STS… Would you have this dance with me?"

I blushed brightly and nodded, standing up and following him as he led us to a shadowy area, where danced alone, with the moon shining down from above.

A single, bright red firework burst in the sky and WG2099 sighed.

"That's my cue, I gotta go for now," he sighed. "I'll be back just before the grand finale fireworks go off. So save me a seat!"

"I will," I grinned. My grin turned to a look of surprise as he leaned over and kissed my cheek before running off. I blushed and touched the spot tenderly with my hand. I ran off to go find the best seating for the fireworks.

I took my seat and grinned, as they were tilted to be facing the sky. It was almost like lying down… The sky was dark and the stars glittered like little fireworks of their own. But soon the skill was lit up with the bright flash of a blue firework explosion. I grinned and stood up a little to see where WG2099 was. I saw him, in his own Digimon form, setting his fireworks on fire with the greatest expression of joy he could have. I laughed softly, transformed into my Squirtle form, and sat back down to enjoy the rest of the show. After half an hour of his fireworks, I transformed back and waited patiently for him to scramble back to his seat.

"Hi!" he grinned and sat down. "Did you enjoy the fireworks?"

"Very much," I whispered, "you were fantastic."

He blushed and smiled while replying, "Thanks, but wait till you see the administrator's fireworks!" I grinned and leaned back to watch what he had meant. Soon the sky was filled with all sorts of fireworks going off at the same time, beautifully lighting up the sky with multi-colored blasts.

I sighed happily noticing the dazzled look of the other players around me as they watched the spectacle. I peered around to see who was closest to us. There was BHOF and Digidestined5 to our right, ADTakeruniori to the left, and SolarOmnimon behind us, keeping an eye on the show and the Admins. I could see his police badge gleam in the pale light. I grinned quite widely as WG2099 slipped his hand over top of mine and squeezed it gently.

I was momentarily distracted as I heard some crazy shouting coming from behind the seating. I glanced back and my eyes nearly popped out. There was a guy running around in front of fireworks just as they were going to go off.

"Is he nuts?!" I hissed at WG2099. He glanced over casually, shrugged and looked back at the sky.

"No, he's just BloodyPheonix," he said wistfully. "That's normal for him."

"What if he gets killed?" I asked urgently, WG2099 cracked a grin.

"Him? Naw… He likes dancing around evil Digimon to taunt them and he hasn't gotten nailed yet."

"Nutso," I thought to myself while watching the last fireworks explode, spelling out the words "Digimon Forever".

"That was great!" I laughed hugging WG2099 goodbye. He returned the hug warmly and rubbed my back a little.

"Sure was," he grinned. "When's the next time I can see you?"

"How about noon tomorrow?" I suggested. He grinned and nodded.

"Sounds great," he agreed. He leaned over and gave my cheek a soft kiss. "See you then!" I blushed and waved goodbye as he walked off. We were one of the last two to leave. I sighed and hugged my arms happily while dancing away back to the hotel.

I twirled and danced along the darkened path. Out here, there were no lighted lamps or candles to illuminate the scenery. It was only the bright moon and sparkling stars lighting my way. After a distance I stopped dancing and just walked. The wind was chilly for a July night, which I found odd, and shivered. I hugged my arms to my self. I was too absorbed in my pondering of the situation to notice my surroundings.

In the shadows a pair of hands reached out and grabbed me, dragging me into the darkness of night. I tried to scream but was knocked out before I could even open my mouth…


End file.
